The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's breathing issues and asbestos exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion on whether the Veteran’s breathing issues are related to his asbestos exposure, which is necessary for a full decision.
- Claimed conditions
- breathing issues, recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax, any other respiratory or lung disorders
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19180379
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 19180379.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral athletes' foot, onychomycosis and tinea nigra, a skin condition other than onychomycosis, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral restless leg syndrome, breathing issues, left knee pain, lumbar spine disability, migraines, an acquired psychiatric disorder claimed as PTSD with anxiety and insomnia (also claimed as sleep disturbances), and tinnitus.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for extensions of time to file Board Appeal requests were denied, and the attempted appeals are therefore dismissed.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for breathing issues, finding no evidence to support a causal relationship between his condition and his active-duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of breathing issues secondary to a psychiatric condition for further development, including an adequate examination and opinion.
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