The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral carotid artery disease to obtain an adequate VA medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicide agents and his current condition.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary due to inadequate VA medical opinions addressing whether the Veteran's bilateral carotid artery disease was caused or aggravated by service-connected hypertension, as well as whether it was caused by in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral carotid artery disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25039549
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A25039549.
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 has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral carotid artery disease and thoracic aortic aneurysm due to inadequate medical opinions. The case is returned for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions and whether they are related to his service-connected coronary artery disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination and opinion regarding his claimed peripheral artery disease, bilateral carotid artery disease, and coronary artery disease.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, when combined, render him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.