The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his traumatic chest wall defect (claimed as residuals of pneumothorax) is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a new VA examination.
The deciding factor: Additional medical records are needed from the Durham VAMC, and a new VA examination is required to determine if there has been any change in his chest wall disorder since his hospital treatment for pneumothoraces.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of pneumothorax
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 11, 2006
- Citation
- 0624495
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,643 · Granted: 15% (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 0624495.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of pneumothorax, finding no current lung disability and resolving the condition in 1999. The Veteran's extensive treatment records did not show ongoing symptoms or diagnoses related to his 1999 pneumothorax.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that a remand is required for additional development before service connection can be decided. The Veteran's claim of residuals of pneumothorax will need to be reviewed with updated medical evidence and an examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a lung disorder, including obstructive lung disease and residuals of pneumothorax due to inadequate medical opinion in the prior decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed residuals of pneumothorax. The claim for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability remains denied.
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