The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a VA examination to evaluate his pulmonary and/or respiratory disorders, including COPD; bronchial asthma; chronic airway obstruction; and chronic obstructive asthma, unspecified. The examiner will address the etiology of these conditions and whether they are related to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a VA examination as he has not been provided with one to evaluate his pulmonary and/or respiratory disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD, bronchial asthma, chronic airway obstruction, chronic obstructive asthma, unspecified
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 17, 2017
- Citation
- 1716726
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 1716726.
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 Veteran's service-connected bronchial asthma does not preclude him from maintaining substantial gainful employment.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current respiratory disability and active duty service. The VA examiner concluded that the COPD was more likely due to tobacco use rather than asbestos exposure in service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to his exposure to Agent Orange during service. COPD is considered a disease associated with such exposure.
- Granted
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for COPD. The Veteran's COPD is presumed due to exposure to herbicides, but the evidence does not support a finding that it began during active service or is related to in-service exposure.
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