The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient examination and opinion regarding the nature and circumstances of onset of the Veteran's heart disabilities, including mitral valve regurgitation, mitral valve stenosis, left atrial dilation, and/or heart murmur.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations have not adequately addressed whether the Veteran's conditions are congenital diseases or defects, if a disease, whether it clearly and unmistakably manifested prior to service, and/or whether the disease first manifested in service or was aggravated by service. The examiner should provide an opinion on these matters.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disability, valvular heart disease, mitral valve with regurgitation
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2023
- Citation
- 23066815
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 23066815.
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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings for valvular heart disease, peripheral vascular disease of the right and left legs, and hypertension were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings under the applicable rating criteria.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection effective August 10, 2022. The heart disability was granted secondary to the hypertension.,An initial rating of 30% for the heart disability was granted in May 2023 and increased to 60% since October 22, 2024.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating higher than 30 percent for cardiomegaly with cardiac hypertrophy and valvular heart disease has been dismissed due to the appellant withdrawing the appeal.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a heart disability, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
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