The Board remands the claim for a heart disability, to include hypertensive cardiovascular disease and myocardial ischemia, as the November 2023 VA examination is inadequate.
The deciding factor: The November 2023 VA examination did not address all diagnosed heart conditions and did not provide an opinion on whether any of these conditions were caused or aggravated by service-connected hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertensive cardiovascular disease, myocardial ischemia, mitral regurgitation, left ventricular hypertrophy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25025429
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that his hypertensive cardiovascular disease began during service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and remanded the claims for other conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for valvular heart disease and left ventricular hypertrophy, finding that these conditions are caused by the Veteran's service-connected hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a heart disability, to include heart dysfunction and mitral regurgitation, due to an inadequate VA opinion.
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