The Board has decided that the Veteran's death was caused by cardiopathy, but the cause of his cardiomyopathy is still under review due to insufficient medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The March 2025 VA examiner did not adequately address the relevant inquiries regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's cardiomyopathy related to service exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2026
- Citation
- A26038517
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 A26038517.
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 Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. The case is being remanded for further evaluation regarding the relationship between the Veteran's death and his service.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death. The claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 was also denied as there was no evidence showing a causal connection between the veteran's service-connected conditions and his death.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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