The Veteran seeks service connection for a respiratory disability, specifically pulmonary fibrosis. The appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine the etiology of his claimed condition and whether it is related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The claim requires further evaluation by a VA examiner to assess the relationship between the Veteran's current respiratory disability and his military service, including exposure to jet fuels and smokestack emissions.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary fibrosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 26, 2018
- Citation
- 1805297
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 1805297.
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 Board granted service connection for pulmonary fibrosis, finding it to be related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for pulmonary fibrosis, finding no current diagnosis of the condition and that it was not related to his military service or a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of a lung disability, claimed as pulmonary fibrosis, for further development and evidence review.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a conclusion that his service-connected conditions prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
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