The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's heart attack was caused by his service-connected hip replacement surgery. The case is sent back for an addendum medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not sufficiently address whether the heart attack could have been reasonably foreseen or anticipated by a competent and prudent healthcare provider, nor whether VA failed to exercise the degree of care expected in providing treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart attack, Hip issues
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2026
- Citation
- A26010496
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A26010496.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance transportation costs incurred on January 9, 2021, was granted. The ambulance transport was deemed necessary due to the Veteran experiencing symptoms consistent with a heart attack and required immediate medical attention.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred from February 24 to February 26, 2020, at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) is being remanded due to unclear decision notices and lack of documentation regarding any specific errors in the claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's emergency treatment for a heart attack was approved as reasonable and necessary, with no service-connected condition involved.
- Granted
The Veteran's unauthorized, non-VA medical expenses for a heart attack from November 29 to November 30, 2018 are granted as the care was emergent and VA facilities were not feasibly available.
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