The Board has decided that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD may have aggravated her diagnosed cardiac disability, but more evidence is needed to determine if it was caused by or secondary to PTSD.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion must address whether the Veteran's cardiac disability was aggravated by her service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- idiopathic cardiomyopathy with left ventricular dysfunction, congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 20, 2022
- Citation
- 22047456
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 22047456.
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 has granted service connection for migraine headaches as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. However, it denied service connection for idiopathic cardiomyopathy with left ventricular dysfunction, congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation due to service or as secondary to PTSD.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
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