The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the receipt of a new VA medical opinion.
The deciding factor: A new VA medical opinion was received after the issuance of the February 4, 2019 Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC), which impacts all of the claims on appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD with asbestosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19179129
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,455 · Granted: 23% (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 19179129.
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 Veteran's service-connected tension headaches and COPD with asbestosis rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment as of December 13, 2012.
- Dismissed
The appeal as to the proposal to sever service connection for COPD with asbestosis was dismissed because it was premature and there was no final decision subject to appellate review.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, and thus has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this case.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including VA examinations to determine if there is a relationship between the Veteran's current COPD with asbestosis and heart disability and his military service. The appeal will be readjudicated after these actions.
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