The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder and low back injury due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The case is being remanded for further development, including obtaining new medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any diagnosed respiratory or low back disorders are related to the Veteran's active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- respiratory disorder, low back injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19188645
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,092 · Granted: 42% (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 19188645.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant requested to withdraw his appeal for service connection claims related to left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, left knee strain, bilateral hearing loss, and low back injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for service connection must be remanded due to inadequate examinations and opinions. The Veteran's skin disorder, respiratory disorder, Crohn's disease, eye disorder, and migraines are all being reviewed again with new medical evaluations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, including COPD and emphysema, is being remanded due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The Board finds that the evidence submitted tends to disprove a link between his current condition and active service.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a respiratory disorder is dismissed. Service connection for right hand palmar nodule and service connection for a right hand scar are granted, but the issue of service connection for a right hand disorder other than service-connected right hand palmar nodule is remanded.
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