The Board remands the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death to obtain a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's contributory causes of death are related to service or whether his hepatitis is related to service and thereby caused or contributed to his death.
The deciding factor: Development for an addendum VA medical opinion is necessary due to the failure to obtain opinions on the significance of in-service symptoms and findings, as well as the Veteran's report of pain and pressure in the chest and shortness of breath reported on his October 1963 separation report of medical history given that congestive heart failure was listed as a contributory cause of death on his death certificate.
- Claimed conditions
- cirrhosis, morbid obesity, diabetes mellitus, type II, congestive heart failure, hypertension, hepatic encephalopathy
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 11, 2025
- Citation
- A25051225
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
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