The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for emphysema due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset and relationship to service, particularly exposure to Agent Orange. A VA examination is needed to determine if the condition had its origin during service or within one year of discharge, and whether it was caused by his service-connected COPD.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there are insufficient medical records to conclusively determine the etiology of the Veteran's emphysema and its relationship to service, specifically exposure to Agent Orange.
- Claimed conditions
- emphysema
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19126440
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for Parkinson's disease, emphysema, muscle cramps, bilateral shoulder disability, and neck disability. However, it granted service connection for peripheral vascular disease and asthma.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for COPD, emphysema, a chest wall condition, PTSD, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, chronic, a low back condition, TBI, and a chest tumor.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's petitions to readjudicate claims for service connection for bradycardia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, emphysema, hypothyroidism, polypectomy, prostate cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis as new and relevant evidence was not received. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disability is remanded.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during its pendency.
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