The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for various conditions, including tendonitis and COPD, due to herbicide exposure. The VA will need to obtain a supplemental medical opinion to determine if these conditions are related to the Veteran's presumed exposure during active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA physician’s opinion did not specifically address whether each condition on appeal is at least as likely as not directly caused by herbicide exposure during service, and thus remand is required.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified tendonitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sleep apnea, hypertension, a gastrointestinal disorder, erectile dysfunction, a skin condition
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19132064
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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