The Veteran's stroke in February 2016 is found to be less likely related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The Board has ordered a remand for an addendum opinion to address the lay statements of record regarding stress at work due to hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not adequately consider the lay statements regarding stress and misunderstanding caused by the Veteran's hearing loss, which may have contributed to his stroke.
- Claimed conditions
- thrombosis, transient ischemic attacks, cerebral infarction (stroke)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 26, 2024
- Citation
- A24085982
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 A24085982.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection on all listed conditions has been dismissed due to his death.
- Granted
The veteran's claim for service connection of erectile dysfunction as secondary to his service-connected thrombosis was granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for cerebrovascular disease, including as due to herbicide agent exposure or as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II, is remanded. The Board notes the duty-to-assist error in not considering VA treatment records and requires a new opinion on whether the Veteran's stroke residuals are related to herbicide agents or any other toxic exposure risk activity (TERA).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examination and a need for further evaluation of the appellant's TIA condition.
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