The Board remands the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death to obtain a new medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's cold injury residuals contributed to and worsened his coronary artery disease, which was a contributory cause of his death.
The deciding factor: The June 2020 VA medical opinion did not adequately address whether the Veteran's cold injury residuals aggravated his coronary artery disease. A new opinion is needed to properly adjudicate the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory arrest due to or as a consequence of hypoxic respiratory failure, Aspiration pneumonitis, Cerebral vascular accident, Coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2025
- Citation
- 25004287
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 25004287.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition was granted with an effective date of August 1, 2019. The decision is based on evidence showing exposure to diesel and gas fuel during service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since September 27, 2010. Additionally, he is in receipt of a 60 percent disability rating for coronary artery disease, which meets the criteria for SMC at the housebound rate.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for HISA benefits is granted as the modification requested (a barrier free, roll-in shower) falls within the scope of HISA and addresses his medical need due to his service-connected coronary artery disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of an adequate VA examination, which is necessary for a fully informed decision on the Veteran's heart disability claim.
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