The Board remands the claim for an addendum medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's bradycardia with stable angina results in functional impairment of earning capacity and whether it is related to military service.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary due to a violation of VA's duty to assist under 38 U.S.C. § 5103A, as the AOJ did not consider whether the Veteran's symptoms resulted in functional impairment of earning capacity.
- Claimed conditions
- bradycardia, stable angina
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2024
- Citation
- A24064080
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a heart condition to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician regarding whether the Veteran's current heart condition is related to service, including in-service treatment for hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's petitions to readjudicate claims for service connection for bradycardia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, emphysema, hypothyroidism, polypectomy, prostate cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis as new and relevant evidence was not received. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disability is remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 30 percent, but not higher, prior to November 14, 2021 for stable angina and valvular heart disease associated with hypertension. The claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent since that date was denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism, bradycardia as secondary to hypothyroidism, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to PTSD with panic attacks and hypothyroidism. A 50 percent evaluation was also granted for PTSD with panic attacks from June 21, 2021 and prior to March 29, 2023, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) was granted effective the same date.
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