The Board remands the claims for service connection for sarcoidosis, pulmonary embolisms, and cause of death to obtain a VA medical opinion regarding the relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The AOJ committed pre-decisional errors by failing to obtain necessary medical opinions before issuing the April 2020 rating decision, particularly as there is a positive nexus opinion suggesting a relationship between the Veteran's conditions and his presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service.
- Claimed conditions
- sarcoidosis, pulmonary embolisms
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2024
- Citation
- A24066640
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 service connection for sarcoidosis as new and relevant evidence has been received since the previous denial.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for sarcoidosis as additional development is necessary.
- 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 issues of entitlement to revision of prior rating decisions on grounds of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) for further development.
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