The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death is related to his service-connected conditions and exposure to Agent Orange. The VA will obtain additional medical records and provide a new opinion on these issues.
The deciding factor: Insufficient evidence was provided to determine if the Veteran's cause of death (pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis) is related to his Sjogren's Syndrome, which may be related to Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Sjogren's Syndrome, Pulmonary Embolism, Deep Vein Thrombosis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2021
- Citation
- 21075582
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 21075582.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for Persistent Depressive Disorder is denied. The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for Pulmonary Embolism due to predecisional duty to assist errors.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of pulmonary embolism, finding that it is secondary to her service-connected PCOS.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and depressive disorder. The claims for discoid lupus, malabsorption disorder, Sjogren's syndrome, and low back disability are remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's pulmonary embolism is secondary to his service-connected heart disability and grants service connection for this condition.
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