The Veteran's death was caused by end stage Parkinson's disease with the underlying cause being acute broncho pneumonia- lungs with emphysematous final anatomic diagnosis / autopsy. The appellant seeks service connection for the cause of her husband's death due to his exposure to mustard gas during military service.
The deciding factor: The VA physician concluded that it is at least as likely as not (50% probability) that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including emphysema, chronic bronchitis and chronic sinusitis, singly or together, caused or contributed to cause his death due to acute broncho pneumonia- lungs with emphysematous final anatomic diagnosis / autopsy.
- Claimed conditions
- emphysema, chronic bronchitis, chronic sinusitis, anosmia, loss of sense of taste
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 30, 2013
- Citation
- 1324154
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 1324154.
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 has denied service connection for chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, and chronic fatigue syndrome as there is no evidence of a current disability in the record.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of adequate examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed chronic bronchitis. The Veteran is seeking service connection for this condition, which was denied in an initial decision. The VA examiner did not address the medical record indicating a current diagnosis of chronic bronchitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lung condition, including pneumonia residuals, COPD, and emphysema, is remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his military service. The appeal is reopened based on new evidence.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for depression, Gram Positive Cocci Condition, chronic bronchitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and diseases of Keratinization due to untimely filing of the Decision Review Request.
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