The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions provided are inadequate for the issues of service connection for coronary artery disease, diverticulosis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The Veteran's disabilities may be aggravated by his service-connected PTSD, but further examination is needed to determine if this aggravation is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his PTSD.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner used the wrong standard for determining whether the Veteran's disabilities were aggravated by his service-connected PTSD (using 'beyond natural progression' instead of 'any increase').
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease (CAD), diverticulosis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2023
- Citation
- 23005608
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 23005608.
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 service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, abdominal hernia, GERD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral foot disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during the appellant's period of active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection and TDIU are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of his coronary artery disease.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus type II (DM II), hypertension, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to service-connected DM II. The Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during active service is presumed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for sinusitis and remanded the Veteran's claims for chronic lower back pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, neck pain, and GERD.
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