The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service treatment records and a need for an examination to determine if any of the Veteran's pulmonary conditions are related to his in-service exposure to exhaust fumes, coal smoke, or pleurisy.
The deciding factor: The claims file lacks complete service treatment records, which may contain information corroborating the Veteran's assertion that he experienced pleurisy during ACDUTRA service. The Board also requires a VA examination to determine if any of the Veteran's diagnosed conditions are related to his in-service exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19101540
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent disability rating for unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder with major depressive disorder, recurrent, and alcohol use disorder in early remission, as well as TDIU due to asthma and SMC at the housebound rate.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
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