The Board remands the claims for aneurysms and carotid artery dissection, to include as secondary to hypertension, for additional development of evidence.
The deciding factor: Inadequate VA examination opinions require a new addendum opinion addressing the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities in relation to his in-service toxic exposure risk activities (TERAs).
- Claimed conditions
- aneurysms, carotid artery dissection
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2025
- Citation
- A25106661
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,812 · Granted: 30% (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 A25106661.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for arthritis of the legs and retina myopathy have been dismissed. The Board has granted service connection for Parkinson's disease due to herbicide exposure, but has remanded issues related to acquired psychiatric disability, dysarthria, dementia, aneurysms, COPD, and enlarged prostate.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's headaches, which he claims are related to aneurysms and calcifications of the brain that developed during service. The decision is based on direct service connection due to the presumption of soundness at entry into service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for headaches, claimed as aneurysms and calcifications of the brain, is remanded due to insufficient medical opinions addressing whether these conditions are related to his period of active duty. The appeal for service connection for large duodenum ulcer/peptic ulcer, to include as due to service-connected disabilities, is also remanded due to a lack of an opinion regarding whether this condition is caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD and GERD with cricopharyngeal achalasia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's aneurysms and bladder cancer are related to service, specifically Agent Orange exposure. The claims will be reconsidered based on this new evidence.
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