The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for primary pulmonary hypertension and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis due to insufficient evidence regarding exposure to asbestos or herbicides during active service. Additional development is needed, including verification of reported exposures and obtaining necessary VA examinations.
The deciding factor: Insufficient information was provided to determine if the Veteran served within 12 nautical miles of the Republic of Vietnam for purposes of establishing exposure to herbicides based on recent legal precedent.
- Claimed conditions
- primary pulmonary hypertension, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19131939
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 32% (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 19131939.
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 has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, including as due to exposure to herbicides and burn pits, should be remanded. The AOJ must obtain a VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's pulmonary fibrosis.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was denied, while the Veteran's claim for service connection for diarrhea as secondary to his service-connected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was granted.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, finding that the Veteran's exposure to toxic occupational exposures during his military service is at least as likely as not a primary cause of his condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for pulmonary hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
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