The Board has denied service connection for chronic pneumonia and remanded the issue of service connection for a heart disability. The Veteran's claim for chronic pneumonia is not supported by evidence of current disability, while his heart disability claim requires additional medical opinion regarding its relationship to service-connected PTSD.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the competent evidence fails to reflect a current chronic respiratory condition (chronic pneumonia) and there are no opinions provided on whether the Veteran's heart disability is related to service or aggravated by service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic pneumonia, heart disability (ischemic heart disease and chronic tachycardia with pacemaker)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19105587
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic pneumonia, and COPD due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic pneumonia and respiratory disorder, other than pneumonia. The case is being remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding the etiology of any current respiratory conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating and TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for respiratory disorders and chronic pneumonia due to asbestos exposure, as there is insufficient evidence to make a decision without further examination or medical opinion.
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