The Board remands the claim for an earlier effective date for coronary artery disease (CAD) with hypertensive cardiovascular disease, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, unstable angina, status post 2-vessel angioplasty ('heart disability') as it requires further development and medical opinion.
The deciding factor: Further development is required to determine if service connection can be granted under theories other than the PACT Act due to the Veteran's in-service weight gain and inactivity, which may have contributed to his heart condition.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease (CAD) with hypertensive cardiovascular disease, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, unstable angina, status post 2-vessel angioplasty
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25026290
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 claim for a heart condition to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician regarding whether the Veteran's current heart condition is related to service, including in-service treatment for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 30 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected cardiovascular disability, but denied a higher rating from December 15, 2022, through September 14, 2025.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a temporary rating of 100 percent for his heart disability from March 1, 2021 to June 1, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 60 percent prior to and after this period was denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease based on the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam.
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