The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed aortic aneurysm. The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including left partial nephrectomy and ischemic heart disease/atherosclerosis, are not considered in determining whether the aortic aneurysm was caused or aggravated by these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the remand was necessary to obtain an opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed aortic aneurysm due to incomplete development as per the February 2020 remand directives.
- Claimed conditions
- aortic aneurysm, left partial nephrectomy, atherosclerosis/ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2023
- Citation
- 23053029
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 23053029.
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 denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for aortic aneurysm secondary to his service-connected hypertension, squamous cell cancer of the skin, and benign prostatic hyperplasia. The issues of entitlement to compensable ratings for hypertension and colon cancer residuals are also remanded due to potential impact on the issue of a 10 percent evaluation based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an effective date of March 3, 2022, for the award of service connection for aortic aneurysm is granted. The rating assigned remains at 60 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty-to-assist error regarding the Veteran's exposure to asbestos and Agent Orange during service. The claims are now pending for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension is granted as presumptively related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents (Agent Orange). The aortic aneurysm, which is secondary to the service-connected hypertension, is also granted.
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