The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a heart condition and erectile dysfunction due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The Veteran's heart condition is found to be at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected depression, but the examiner could not determine if it was aggravated by his service-connected conditions or medication. For erectile dysfunction, the Board finds that a VA examination should be scheduled to address whether it is at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected depression and related disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's heart condition may have been misdiagnosed in the past, leading to an inadequate VA examination. The examiner could not determine if the Veteran's erectile dysfunction was aggravated by his service-connected conditions or medication due to a lack of information from the private cardiologist's records and the Veteran's testimony about missing the appointment.
- Claimed conditions
- heart condition, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 22, 2023
- Citation
- A23033152
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 A23033152.
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 claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD was granted with an initial evaluation of 50 percent, effective September 24, 2007. The appeal regarding the heart condition and sleep disorder is denied. The Veteran's hearing loss prior to August 24, 2015, warrants a 20 percent rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
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