The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for pulmonary fibrosis and peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, as well as the PTSD claim, need to be remanded due to outstanding records from the Social Security Administration. The issue regarding excision of a knot on the neck and special monthly pension based on aid and attendance is also being remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board found that VA has a duty to assist in obtaining relevant medical records from the Social Security Administration, as well as VA treatment records, for all outpatient care and hospitalization since March 2003. The claims will be returned to the RO for further development and readjudication.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary fibrosis, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2004
- Citation
- 0407596
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 0407596.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for pulmonary fibrosis, finding it to be related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for pulmonary fibrosis, finding no current diagnosis of the condition and that it was not related to his military service or a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of a lung disability, claimed as pulmonary fibrosis, for further development and evidence review.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a conclusion that his service-connected conditions prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
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