The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error and needs additional clarification on whether there was an increase in severity of the Veteran's pre-existing heart disability during service.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on a duty-to-assist error where the VA medical opinion did not address the relevant inquiry for a pre-existing condition with respect to the Veteran's heart disability.
- Claimed conditions
- left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH)
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2026
- Citation
- A26006158
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 A26006158.
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 atrial fibrillation, supraventricular arrhythmia, left ventricular hypertrophy, and bilateral hearing loss as the conditions were not incurred during or attributable to active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's heart condition, specifically left ventricular hypertrophy with reduced ejection fraction.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claims for service connection for left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and keratoconus. The claims are being remanded for further review due to new evidence submitted after previous denials.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection for a cardiac disability, including conflicting VA memorandums on herbicide exposure and inadequate VA examinations. The examiner is requested to provide an addendum opinion addressing these issues.
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