The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a bilateral eye disorder, atrial fibrillation, and pulmonary disability due to issues with the adequacy of VA examinations and the need to obtain private treatment records. The Court also found that the Board failed to address whether the AOJ substantially complied with its September 2018 remand request to obtain private treatment records and whether the VA adequately informed the Veteran of why those records were not obtained.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on procedural errors in obtaining and considering private medical records, as well as issues with the adequacy of VA examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Eye Disorder (including cataracts), Heart Disability (Atrial Fibrillation), Pulmonary Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2022
- Citation
- 22019910
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 22019910.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for PTSD was dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claim.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative joint disease and disc disease of the neck / cervical spine, anxiety disorder, cephalgia, bilateral hearing loss, heart disability, pulmonary disability, and stroke pathology/_residuals were granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for a compensable initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied. The issue of service connection for a pulmonary disability, to include as secondary to asbestos exposure, is remanded and requires further medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a heart disability and a skin disability, finding that the current conditions are not related to service or exposure to herbicide agents. The heart condition is presumed due to prior service with rheumatic fever, while the skin condition cannot be linked to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and examinations.
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