The Board remands the claims for service connection for a heart disorder and cognitive disorder as further development is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange during his service.
The deciding factor: The records requested by the previous remand were not obtained, and the Veteran was not notified of their unavailability, leading to a lack of substantial compliance with the Board's directives.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disorder, to include ischemic heart disease (IHD) and multiple transient ischemic attacks, cognitive disorder (claimed as short-term memory loss and mental issues)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2024
- Citation
- 24003807
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 Board granted service connection for a heart disorder, specifically atrial fibrillation, due to exposure to herbicide agents during active duty service in the Republic of Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for heart disorder, stroke residuals, sleep apnea, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) to obtain addendum opinions addressing specific risk factors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder, heart disorder, diabetes mellitus type II, and hypertension, as well as entitlement to a special monthly pension, due to insufficient evidence regarding in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
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