The Board has remanded the cases for additional development to address whether the Veteran's breathing disorder (including asthma) and GERD are related to his military service, specifically exposure to dust and pulmonary irritants during Desert Storm.
The deciding factor: The VA physician did not consider the Veteran’s lay statements regarding in-service exposure to dust and irritants, nor did they address the possibility that the Veteran's COPD is a result of pre-existing nonspecific gastritis diagnosed in 1996.
- Claimed conditions
- breathing disorder (including asthma), gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19144951
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,726 · Granted: 19% (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 19144951.
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 remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) due to secondary service connection. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions as being related to his service-connected allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and status post-lumbar laminectomy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's GI disorders are related to his service, but the AOJ needs to determine which specific deployments and activities caused these conditions. The case is being remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection on multiple conditions has been dismissed due to their death.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU) as there is insufficient evidence to support that her service-connected conditions caused her to be unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.
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