The Board has remanded the claims for evaluation of polymyositis conditions due to service, including earlier effective dates. The Veteran's death during the pendency of these claims means that his surviving spouse may be eligible to substitute as a claimant.
The deciding factor: The Veteran died while his claims were pending before the Board, and his surviving spouse has submitted an application for substitution under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Polymyositis, chest atrophies due to polymyositis, residuals of muscle biopsy of the right hamstring
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 1, 2021
- Citation
- 21066570
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 21066570.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's right upper extremity neuropathy due to polymyositis is granted a 40 percent rating since October 12, 2018.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Polymyositis and secondary service connection for a mood disorder due to Polymysitis. The Veteran's Polymyositis is related to in-service exposure to environmental toxins while working as a mechanic during his second period of active duty.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by diffuse pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, which the Board finds is service-connected due to exposure to silica fibers in service. The claims for accrued benefits based on pending claims for service connection for various conditions are also granted.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's cause of death, vascular collapse due to arteriosclerotic heart and vascular disease, was not caused or contributed to by a service-connected disability. The Board also determined that diabetes mellitus and polymyositis were not related to service.
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