The Board remands the claim for service connection of the cause of the Veteran's death to correct duty to assist errors that occurred prior to the August 2023 decision on appeal.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary due to missing VA treatment records and a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's in-service head injury contributed to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory failure due to pneumonia, Myocardial infarction, Abdominal aortic aneurysm, Cerebral infarction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25024342
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 matter of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to a lack of sufficient evidence addressing all contentions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a cardiovascular disability, secondary to hypertension, but denied a compensable rating and an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating higher than 60 percent for the Veteran's heart disabilities and granted service connection for major vascular neurocognitive disorder, but denied special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(l).
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is remanded due to incomplete research on potential herbicide exposure and missing mental health records.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.