The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease as secondary to in-service exposure to herbicide agents. The claims of entitlement to service connection for early-onset peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities are being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.
The deciding factor: There is conflicting medical evidence on whether the Veteran had ischemic heart disease, but the private treatment records provide evidence of ischemic heart disease. The Board finds that the appellant has met all requirements needed to establish service connection for ischemic heart disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease, Early-onset peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, Early-onset peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2024
- Citation
- A24079017
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 A24079017.
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 Veteran's claim for an initial rating of 30 percent prior to July 18, 2014, and a higher than 60 percent rating thereafter for ischemic heart disease is being remanded due to incomplete evidence. The examiner needs to provide more detailed information about the severity of his service-connected condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and increased rating for ischemic heart disease due to a failure by the AOJ to request SSA records, which were not available.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction, status post stent placement, as well as obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease as there was no evidence of herbicide exposure and the Veteran's condition is not related to his military service.
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