The Board has determined that the veteran's death is related to his service-connected respiratory symptomatology and exposure to toxic chemicals and gases, necessitating further development of medical records and personnel files.
The deciding factor: The VA physician must provide an opinion on whether the veteran's idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was causally related to his documented respiratory symptoms in service or any other incident of his service, including exposure to toxic chemicals and gases (including fuels and propellants).
- Claimed conditions
- idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2003
- Citation
- 0329898
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 0329898.
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 decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, including as due to exposure to herbicides and burn pits, should be remanded. The AOJ must obtain a VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's pulmonary fibrosis.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was denied, while the Veteran's claim for service connection for diarrhea as secondary to his service-connected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was granted.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, finding that the Veteran's exposure to toxic occupational exposures during his military service is at least as likely as not a primary cause of his condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for pulmonary hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
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