The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was due to his asbestos exposure during service, and remands for further development including obtaining VA medical opinions on the cause of death and whether service-connected disabilities contributed to death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no evidence of asbestos exposure during service, but the appellant provided lay testimony linking the Veteran's death to such exposure. The Board also noted that a VA examination was not conducted in connection with this claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory failure, Cerebrovascular accident, Atrial fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2021
- Citation
- 21072639
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 21072639.
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 Board granted service connection for congestive heart failure with implanted pacemaker, bradycardia, valvular heart disease, and atrial fibrillation, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 100 percent evaluation for coronary artery disease and awarded special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance, while denying earlier effective dates for both conditions and an increased rating for atrial fibrillation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for atrial fibrillation and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with congestive heart failure to correct an error by the AOJ in satisfying a regulatory or statutory duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death due to a lack of adequate medical evidence regarding the potential nexus between atrial fibrillation and in-service exposure, as well as other service-connected disabilities.
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