The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error in the April 2023 VA medical opinion, which did not consider the clinical significance of the Veteran's coronary calcification and atherosclerotic plaques.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to address whether the clinical findings of coronary calcification and atherosclerotic plaques are early signs of coronary artery disease and if they could be considered related to service, including herbicide agent exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 8, 2023
- Citation
- A23035130
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 A23035130.
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 remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to a lack of VA examinations and consideration of all relevant evidence, including his National Guard service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent effective April 30, 2024. The Veteran's hypertension does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating. Service connection for a heart condition and TDIU are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss, and thus service connection for this condition is denied. The issues of entitlement to service connection for hypertension and heart condition are remanded due to insufficient evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for an adequate medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's heart condition is caused or aggravated by his service-connected OSA and PTSD.
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