The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for a heart condition should be remanded to verify his exposure to herbicide agents during his service aboard the USS Lyman K. Swenson from December 1968 to January 1969, as this could potentially qualify him for presumptive service connection under VA regulations.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's service records and the expanded definition of Vietnam service by the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act suggest he may have been exposed to herbicide agents during his service within 12 nautical miles of the Vietnamese coast, which could potentially qualify him for presumptive service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease, CAD
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 29, 2022
- Citation
- 22018524
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 22018524.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke as there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service and the medical opinions were against a nexus to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease with myocardial infarction is granted on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in Korea.
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