The Veteran's grade I diastolic heart failure is being remanded for a determination on whether it was aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus and hypertension. The atopic dermatitis and PTSD claims are also being remanded for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The initial decision did not address the aggravation aspect of the Veteran's secondary service connection claim for grade I diastolic heart failure, which is a pre-decisional error that must be corrected on remand.
- Claimed conditions
- grade I diastolic heart failure, atopic dermatitis, recurrent ingrown toenails
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2023
- Citation
- A23035766
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 A23035766.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as lumbosacral strain, osseous & subluxation stenosis of lumbar foramina, is granted with a rating of 40 percent effective February 9, 2024. The other service connection claims are also granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal is denied as the disability rating for atopic dermatitis and pilaris keratosis was reduced from 60 percent to 30 percent effective July 1, 2020. The Veteran does not meet criteria for a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for left knee strain, obstructive sleep apnea, atopic dermatitis, chronic rhinitis, and chronic sinusitis due to insufficient medical opinions addressing all theories of entitlement. The Veteran's conditions are now considered significantly worsened.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's skin disability (atopic dermatitis, folliculitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and seborrheic keratosis) on a direct basis. The decision finds that there is at least an equipoise of evidence to support the claim, thus resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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