The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical records and the need for a thorough evaluation to determine if service-connected conditions contributed to the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: Further VA evaluation is required to determine the relationship between the service-connected disabilities and the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- Alcohol dependence, Pneumonia (community acquired), Hepato-renal syndrome, Decompensated liver cirrhosis, Renal failure
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2023
- Citation
- 23014178
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 23014178.
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 of service connection for cause of death, finding that his service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death. The evidence showed well-controlled heart symptoms prior to death and no causal relationship between anxiety and cardiopulmonary disease or renal failure.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between the Veteran's military service and his death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD with associated depression, major depressive disorder, polysubstance dependence, cocaine dependence, alcohol dependence, and a history of heroine dependence.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that it was related to in-service symptoms indicating kidney disease caused by systemic lupus erythematosus.
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