The Board remands the claims for service connection for a heart disability and a gastrointestinal disability to ensure that there is a complete record upon which to decide the Veteran's claims, to ensure substantial compliance with previous remand directives, and to address recent developments related to toxic exposure risk activities.
The deciding factor: Further development is required to obtain additional medical evidence and address lay statements regarding in-service symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disability, claimed as heart/chest pain, gastrointestinal disability, claimed as a stomach problem
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2024
- Citation
- 24002627
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 denied service connection for gastrointestinal disability and denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for allergic rhinitis, migraine headaches, PTSD, and tinnitus. The Board also denied increased ratings for allergic rhinitis and tinnitus and remanded claims for service connection for right elbow disability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a heart disability as the evidence did not support that it began during active service or was related to an in-service injury.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection for major depressive disorder, tinnitus, sleep apnea, and a gastrointestinal disability due to untimeliness of the VA Form 10182. The appeal for service connection for sarcoidosis was denied based on the lack of evidence supporting a current disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an initial rating higher than 30 percent for the service-connected heart disability to correct an error by the AOJ in not informing the Veteran of his right to a pre-decisional hearing.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.