Citation Nr: 21066390 Decision Date: 10/29/21 Archive Date: 10/29/21 DOCKET NO. 15-19 989A DATE: October 29, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for heart condition is remanded. The application to reopen a previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to heart condition, is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty with the United States Army from June 1976 to December 1978 and November 1982 to January 1987. These matters are before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a September 2012 rating decision of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The Veteran testified before the Board at a hearing held by the undersigned in June 2019. A transcript of the hearing is of record. Subsequently, the Board remanded the claims in October 2019 for further development. Thereafter, in March 2021, the Board reopened and remanded the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for heart condition, and the Board remanded the Veteran's petition to reopen her claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension. 1. Entitlement to service connection for heart condition is remanded. 2. The application to reopen a previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to heart condition, is remanded. The undersigned remanded the Veteran's claims above in a March 2021 decision. The claims were remanded for additional development, to include obtaining any updated VA treatment records and contacting the Veteran to afford her the opportunity to submit any pertinent evidence in support of her claims. Further, the Board remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition to obtain a medical opinion as to whether there was a superimposed disease or injury on the Veteran's heart murmur during military service that resulted in additional disability. In addition, the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) was to undertake any necessary development to adjudicate the Veteran's petition to reopen her claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to a heart condition. A review of the record illustrates that these claims were returned to the Board on March 31, 2021. Additional VA treatment records have been added to the claims file since the March 2021 Board decision. However, the Veteran was not contacted regarding identifying or submitting any pertinent evidence and a VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's heart condition claim has not been obtained. In addition, the AOJ has not yet issued a supplemental statement of the case in these matters. As such, the Board must remand the claims for the development requested in the March 2021 Board remand and for readjudication of the claims. Stegall v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268, 271 (1998). The Board acknowledges that in May 2021, the Veteran submitted a private opinion addressing the etiology of her heart condition. However, the Board finds this opinion to be inadequate for rating purposes as it does not note or discuss evidence from the Veteran's first period of service, including the notation of an irregular heartbeat on her December 1975 pre-induction examination. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: Complete the development delineated and requested in the March 2021 Board remand, and then issue a supplemental statement of the case as to the matter of entitlement to service connection for heart condition and petition to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension. The case should be returned to the Board for adjudication, if necessary. M. SORISIO Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board N. Breitbach, Counsel The Board's decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.