The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinion regarding the Veteran's respiratory disability and its relation to service. The Veteran is seeking service connection for a respiratory disability, specifically pulmonary fibrosis.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an adequate opinion on whether the current respiratory disability is related to any incident of service, including prior to his Southwest Asia service.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary fibrosis, lung scarring
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2015
- Citation
- 1512884
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 1512884.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's pulmonary fibrosis is related to in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for pulmonary fibrosis as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to duty-to-assist errors, including obtaining signed consent forms and an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's lung complications.
- Granted
The Veteran's lung scarring is rated at 30% and effective from August 9, 2023. The TDIU was granted earlier than April 5, 2011 but the Board denied an earlier effective date.
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