The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death was related to his service, specifically his exposure to herbicide agents or his service-connected ischemic heart disease.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is not enough medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease was caused by his military service or his service-connected ischemic heart disease.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, combined drug (fentanyl and hydrocodone) toxicity
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 17, 2024
- Citation
- A24038902
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 A24038902.
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 the Veteran's claims for service connection for cause of death and dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) under 38 U.S.C. 1318, finding that his death was not caused by a service-connected disability.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for TDIU prior to October 18, 2018 due to a lack of evidence showing that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Granted
The Veteran's emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other spontaneous pneumothorax status post thoracotomy is rated as 100% disabling since February 28, 2024. His major depressive disorder is separately rated at 70%. The Board finds that the Veteran meets the criteria for special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions are dismissed due to untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement (NOD). The appeal is also dismissed as there was no good cause shown for the late filing.
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