The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding proximate causation of the additional disability resulting from the December 2009 bypass surgery. The Veteran and his attorney contend that VA provided negligent/careless/faulty care by not ordering appropriate diagnostic testing for left arm symptoms in January 2009, which could have prevented the need for the bypass.
The deciding factor: The Board requires an independent medical expert (IME) opinion to address proximate causation of the additional disability resulting from the December 2009 bypass surgery.
- Claimed conditions
- Brachial to distal ulnar artery bypass of the left upper extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2022
- Citation
- 22059629
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 22059629.
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 has ordered a remand due to the need for an independent medical expert (IME) opinion regarding whether VA's care was negligent in causing the Veteran's additional disability. The case will be returned to the RO for further development.
- Denied
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- 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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