The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a TERA opinion regarding whether the Veteran's causes of death are related to his service-connected conditions and exposure during active duty.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a TERA opinion is required in accordance with the PACT Act, as it pertains to the synergistic combined effect of all the Veteran's TERAs during his active service.
- Claimed conditions
- MRSA sepsis with septic shock due to bacterial endocarditis, valvular heart disease, respiratory failure, atrial fibrillation, myopathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2026
- Citation
- A26009511
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 A26009511.
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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings for valvular heart disease, peripheral vascular disease of the right and left legs, and hypertension were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings under the applicable rating criteria.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection, but his myopathy claim for secondary service connection to hypertension was also granted. The decision is mixed as it grants one issue and denies the other.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating higher than 30 percent for cardiomegaly with cardiac hypertrophy and valvular heart disease has been dismissed due to the appellant withdrawing the appeal.
- Denied
The Veteran's causes of death were not found to be service-connected, as there was no credible evidence linking the conditions to his military service.
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