The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine if the veteran's service-connected gunshot wound of the chest with partial pneumothorax and/or liver condition (retained foreign body) contributed to his cause of death from pulmonary edema. The appeal will be remanded for this purpose.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that there is evidence indicating a possible association between the veteran's service-connected conditions and his cause of death, necessitating further medical evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary edema, gunshot wound of the chest with partial pneumothorax and/or liver condition (retained foreign body)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 11, 2005
- Citation
- 0503711
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0503711.
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 remanded the claims of asthma, pulmonary edema, COPD, vascular disease, dementia, and gastroenteritis due to a lack of evidence regarding service connection.
- Denied
The Veteran's adrenal gland tumor and enlarged node in breast are not service-connected as they did not develop during his active duty or are not related to an injury or disease incurred in service.,His hypertension is not service-connected as there is no evidence of its development during his active duty, reserve service, or secondary to a service-connected condition. The Veteran's assertion that it was due to exposure to diesel fuel in service is not supported by the record.,The Veteran's kidney disability, pulmonary edema, cerebrovascular accident, and Conn's disease are not service-connected as there is no evidence of their development during his active duty or reserve service periods.,His paralysis of the left lower extremity and paralysis of the left upper extremity are not service-connected as they did not develop during his active duty or are not related to an injury or disease incurred in service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inconsistencies in medical opinions and lack of addressing all relevant evidence. The Veteran is presumed Gulf War veteran, and his symptoms have persisted since service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for loss of teeth has been withdrawn. The Board also denied the claims for service connection for pulmonary edema and sleep apnea, and remanded the TDIU claim.
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