The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected disabilities, but further medical opinion is needed to determine if any of these conditions were related to his active service.
The deciding factor: The cause of death involves multiple service-connected conditions and a significant condition (HIV) contributing to death. The exact relationship between these factors needs clarification through a VA medical examination.
- Claimed conditions
- Hemorrhagic duodenal ulcer, Acute on chronic congestive heart failure, Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction, Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2026
- Citation
- A26035417
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 A26035417.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors in the November 2020 rating decision. The psychiatric claim, HIV and psoriasis secondary claims, and TDIU issue are all related and must be addressed together.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a compensable disability rating for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
- Partly granted
The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for residuals of a VA colonoscopy, but granted service connection for a right shoulder disability and a disorder of the epididymis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board granted an effective date of February 9, 2000, for the grant of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability but remanded claims for a head injury and HIV.
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