The Board has found that there is not substantial compliance with its remand directives and requires further development for the issues of service connection for a heart disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral restless leg syndrome. The VA medical opinions obtained were inadequate to support the decisions on these claims.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions provided by the September 2023 examiner lacked clarity and sufficient rationale regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed conditions, particularly in relation to service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Murmur, Valvular Heart Disease, Bradycardia, Atherosclerotic Heart Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2024
- Citation
- 24001380
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,913 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24001380.
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 Board has determined that the Veteran's cardiac condition, including bradycardia with an implanted pacemaker, is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for GERD and bradycardia have been denied. The Board has also remanded the Veteran's claims regarding hypertension, right knee instability, and limitation of motion.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates for service connection and initial ratings for obstructive sleep apnea, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and acquired psychiatric disorder. The appeal for valvular heart disease was also dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's heart condition, which is related to service.
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