The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment. However, two new medical opinions suggest a possible link between Agent Orange exposure and his Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which could potentially improve the likelihood of TDIU.
The deciding factor: Two recent medical opinions suggest a possible causal relationship between the veteran's service-connected disabilities and his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of fracture of the left femur, right ankle neuroma residual of nerve biopsy, residuals of spontaneous pneumothorax, surgical scars in the left hip area, residuals of fracture of the mandible
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2006
- Citation
- 0634448
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (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 0634448.
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 case due to insufficient compliance with previous directives and needs further examination to determine the extent of impairment from service-connected residuals of spontaneous pneumothorax.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for residuals of spontaneous pneumothorax is remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess his need for aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's residuals of pneumothorax are rated at a combined rating of 30 percent, with the intercostal neuralgia component rated at 20 percent. The case is remanded to determine if an extraschedular rating is warranted for the period prior to January 4, 2008.
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