The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for cause of death and burial benefits due to potential herbicide exposure during service. The Veteran's cause of death was listed as unspecified natural causes, with contributory heart, renal, and vascular diseases. A TERA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides and whether there is a nexus between his conditions and this exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) is reasonably raised by the record and remanded for development of this contention, including providing a TERA examination opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, end stage renal disease on dialysis, peripheral vascular disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2024
- Citation
- A24024124
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A24024124.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke as there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service and the medical opinions were against a nexus to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease with myocardial infarction is granted on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in Korea.
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