The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a review of his claims by the VA examiner and an addendum medical statement addressing the etiology of his COPD. The TDIU claim will also be considered.
The deciding factor: The case requires further clarification on the level of disability due to the Veteran's pleural plaques and the relationship between his service-connected conditions and any non-service-connected respiratory disorder (COPD).
- Claimed conditions
- pleural plaques, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 1, 2015
- Citation
- 1518899
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1518899.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection for asbestosis with pleural plaques and vascular dementia as secondary to asbestosis with pleural plaques due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's conditions and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for tinnitus, liver disorder (MASLD), and COPD are remanded due to incomplete or inadequate evidence. The claim for service connection is also remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for asthma, eczematoid dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis are being remanded due to incomplete examination reports and the need for new VA examinations.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for respiratory disorders prior to October 24, 2018; a rating in excess of 10 percent from October 24, 2018; and an evaluation in excess of 60 percent from November 6, 2024 is dismissed.
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