The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral carotid artery disease and thoracic aortic aneurysm due to inadequate medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The May 2021 VA medical opinions are deemed inadequate as they lack sufficient reasoning, do not address all required elements of secondary service connection, and there is incongruent evidence regarding the presence of carotid artery disease during the appeal period.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral carotid artery disease, thoracic aortic aneurysm
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2022
- Citation
- 22000661
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 Board remands the claim for further development to verify the Veteran's dates of service and obtain an addendum medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral carotid artery disease to obtain an adequate VA medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicide agents and his current condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, requiring adequate medical nexus opinions.
- Partly granted
The appeal was denied for service connection of a right ear hearing loss disability, and several other claims were remanded for further development.
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