The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his COPD/emphysema with asthma and sleep apnea are remanded due to the need for additional medical examination, updated treatment records, and consideration of whether sarcoidosis is related to service-connected disability or clinically indistinguishable from symptoms related to his service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The decision requires further evaluation by a VA examiner to determine if the Veteran's sarcoidosis is related to his service-connected COPD/emphysema with asthma and sleep apnea, as well as to assess the severity of his overall respiratory disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)/emphysema with asthma and sleep apnea, sarcoidosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19114696
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,812 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19114696.
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 the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities, finding that he does not require regular aid and assistance from another person as a result of these conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back condition and dismissed the appeal for sarcoidosis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sarcoidosis, finding that the Veteran's sarcoidosis is not causally or etiologically related to his military service and did not manifest within one year of separation from service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability and denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea. The initial rating for the service-connected sarcoidosis remains at noncompensable (0%) due to lack of evidence showing more than minimal impairment.
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