The claims for avascular necrosis of the hips and COPD are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners did not adequately address the Veteran's exposure to ionizing radiation during service, which is a known risk factor for avascular necrosis. The COPD claim also lacks sufficient explanation regarding the relationship between spontaneous pneumothorax and COPD.
- Claimed conditions
- Avascular necrosis, right hip, Avascular necrosis, left hip, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19116515
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,990 · Granted: 35% (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 19116515.
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
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