The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, as secondary to his service-connected tuberculosis, needs further clarification and evidence. The decision is remanded to obtain a medical opinion addressing whether COPD is proximately due to or aggravated by tuberculosis.
The deciding factor: The June 2018 medical opinion did not provide an adequate rationale regarding the relationship between COPD and service-connected tuberculosis.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD, tuberculosis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2019
- Citation
- A19001913
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 Board denied service connection for COPD, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's respiratory condition and his military service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions and a TDIU, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's COPD precluded him from obtaining and maintaining substantial gainful employment, warranting a Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and right middle finger strain with degenerative arthritis. The claim for tuberculosis was denied.
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