The Board remands the claim for service connection for a heart attack due to unverified in-service exposure, requiring further development of the evidence.
The deciding factor: The failure of VA to verify the Veteran's claimed toxic exposures is deemed a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- heart attack
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 1, 2025
- Citation
- A25029850
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for depression, chronic ear infections, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), acne, arthritis, heart attack, thyroid disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, catarrhal fever (common cold), foot disability, ventral hernia, dental disability, and a rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder with bipolar spectrum disorder prior to January 3, 2025.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for all the conditions claimed by the Veteran, as there was no competent medical evidence of a current disability during the appeal period.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for coronary artery disease and a heart attack were dismissed due to lack of response within 60 days of the Board's request for clarification on the review option.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), arteriosclerotic heart disease (coronary artery disease), and heart attack due to a need for additional medical opinions.
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