The Veteran's death was caused by his conditions (Ventricular Fibrillation, Cardiac Arrest, and Heart Failure), which the Board finds may have been exacerbated or worsened due to VA treatment. The Board is remanding the case for a new medical opinion to determine if VA negligence contributed to the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the cause of the Veteran's death was his pre-existing conditions, but also noted potential negligence in VA care which may have exacerbated these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Ventricular Fibrillation, Cardiac Arrest, Heart Failure
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2026
- Citation
- A26037137
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 A26037137.
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The Veteran's appeal of a higher rating for PTSD has been withdrawn. The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for heart disability due to a duty-to-assist error.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claim for congestive heart failure is denied as the condition is not related to toxic exposures during active service or secondary to a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of medical evidence on whether the Veteran's death was caused by service-connected conditions, including presumed herbicide exposure. The VA is required to obtain an opinion from a clinician regarding the cause of the Veteran's death and its relation to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by service-connected conditions or toxic exposures.,The Board found that the cause of death (pulmonary fibrosis, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation) is less likely than not related to active duty service.
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