The appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling a medical examination.
The deciding factor: The record does not contain the Veteran's service medical records due to a fire, and there are conflicting opinions regarding the relationship between his claimed conditions and his military service. Additional evidence and an updated medical opinion are needed before a decision can be made.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hiatal hernia, spastic dysphonia, chronic anxiety
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 5, 2009
- Citation
- 0908105
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including GERD, chronic kidney disease, COPD, a heart condition, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea, as additional development is necessary to address the Veteran's exposure to toxic chemical agents during his service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a respiratory disability to obtain an adequate VA examination and additional evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, hiatal hernia, COPD, and prostate cancer as a result of toxic exposure during the Veteran's military service.
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