The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for pulmonary fibrosis, including as due to in-service herbicide agent exposure, should be remanded. The AOJ did not obtain a VA examination prior to the June 2019 rating decision on appeal regarding whether the claimed pulmonary fibrosis had its onset during service or was otherwise related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a VA examination/medical opinion is required to determine whether the claimed pulmonary fibrosis had its onset during service or was otherwise related to service, due to a duty to assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary fibrosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 1, 2019
- Citation
- A19000768
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 A19000768.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for 12 respiratory conditions due to a need for additional medical evidence and examinations.
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