The Board remands the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death, including ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, and esophageal cancer, to obtain a medical opinion regarding their relationship to active duty service, including presumed exposure to herbicides.
The deciding factor: A remand is necessary to address whether the Veteran had ischemic heart disease, if his congestive heart failure was related to service, including presumed exposure to herbicides, and if his esophageal cancer was related to service, including presumed exposure to herbicides.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease, Congestive heart failure, Esophageal cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25042970
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 service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings of ischemic heart disease and diabetes, and these claims are dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a cardiovascular disability, secondary to hypertension, but denied a compensable rating and an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
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