The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether in-service asbestos exposure caused the Veteran's autoimmune disease and subsequent thyroid disorder.
The deciding factor: The VA needs a new medical opinion addressing the relationship between in-service asbestos exposure and the Veteran's autoimmune disease, which led to his current thyroid disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Thyroid disorder, Autoimmune disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19188239
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 19188239.
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 service connection for diabetes mellitus, a bilateral foot disability (other than bilateral plantar fasciitis), to include gout, right hand and left hand disabilities, as well as a thyroid disorder, all secondary to the Veteran's service-connected obstructive sleep apnea. The Board also granted a TDIU from September 25, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including unconfirmed service locations and lack of VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder and radiculopathies of multiple extremities, due to insufficient evidence and the need for additional development.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for service connection for a thyroid disorder and TDIU.
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