The Veteran's service connection claims for scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, pulmonary fibrosis, and Raynaud's disease due to environmental exposure are being remanded. The Board requests verification of in-service TCE exposure and will schedule an examination to determine if these conditions are related to that exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran testified about his MOS duties involving the use of trichloroethylene (TCE) for cleaning generators and vehicles, which is consistent with his claimed environmental exposure during service.
- Claimed conditions
- scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, pulmonary fibrosis, Raynaud's disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19190879
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19190879.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis disability rating is being remanded for additional development due to significant weight loss and anemia.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and hepatic steatosis have been denied. The claim for rheumatoid arthritis is being remanded.,Service connection has not been established for the claimed conditions.
- Partly granted
Service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome is granted.,Service connection for hypertension is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset in service or as a result of a disease or injury in active service.
- Granted
The Veteran's pulmonary fibrosis is related to in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.
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