The veteran's claim for service connection for chronic obstructive lung disease, claimed as secondary to pneumonia and a spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung), is being remanded due to incomplete medical evidence. The issue of entitlement to a compensable initial rating for residuals of a spontaneous pneumothorax is also being remanded.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinions are conflicting, with one suggesting the veteran's current COPD is related to smoking and asthma, while another suggests it may be due to in-service pneumonia. The RO must obtain additional medical records and provide the veteran with a new examination to resolve these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive lung disease, emphysema
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2006
- Citation
- 0612634
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 0612634.
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.
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- Denied
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- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's petitions to readjudicate claims for service connection for bradycardia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, emphysema, hypothyroidism, polypectomy, prostate cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis as new and relevant evidence was not received. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disability is remanded.
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