The Veteran's claim for service connection for the residuals of pneumonia is being remanded due to insufficient detail in the May 2017 VA medical examination report regarding his right lung abnormalities documented in his service treatment records.
The deciding factor: The examiner did not discuss the significance of the lack of any right lung x-ray abnormalities at the Veteran's entrance examination and the subsequent x-ray evidence of in-service pleural thickening and calcifications, which are relevant to the etiology of his current respiratory conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of pneumonia, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), multiple lung nodules, pectus excavatum, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), dyspnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2017
- Citation
- 1747932
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 1747932.
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 respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, is denied as service connection is not warranted due to the condition being solely attributed to smoking.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases of sleep apnea and asthma due to a failure to provide proper notice for a hearing.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's OSA is granted as service connected. The Veteran's infectious disease claim and stomach disability claim are remanded for further examination.
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