The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for COPD and bilateral eye condition as secondary to service-connected allergic rhinitis and/or chronic sinusitis due to inadequate opinions in previous VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous opinions were insufficient, particularly regarding the etiology of the conditions and their relationship to service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), Bilateral Eye Condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19187798
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 the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as well as remanded certain issues for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected bilateral pleural scar with obstructive and restrictive pulmonary disease, COPD and chronic bronchitis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic bronchitis, COPD, and emphysema but granted a 10 percent rating for hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and an increased rating for the Veteran's respiratory conditions, including chronic sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, COPD, shortness of breath, and allergic rhinitis, to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
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