The Board remands the claim for service connection for orthostatic hypotension, to include as secondary to service-connected esophageal carcinoma, due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: The AOJ's failure to schedule the VA examination and medical opinion prior to denying the Veteran's claim constituted a pre-decisional duty to assist error for which remand is warranted.
- Claimed conditions
- orthostatic hypotension
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2025
- Citation
- A25034117
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for orthostatic hypotension as there were no current symptoms of the condition on examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for chronic renal disease, diabetic retinopathy, kidney transplant, and orthostatic hypotension to schedule VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for obstructive sleep apnea, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, and orthostatic hypotension to obtain new VA medical opinions addressing their relationship to service-connected PTSD.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for orthostatic hypotension, finding a causal relationship to the Veteran's military service.
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