The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between any lung disabilities and service, including asbestos exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a rationale for their opinion or address all of the diagnosed lung conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, progressive multifocal primary lung adenocarcinoma, emphysema, interstitial lung disease, COPD, obstructive sleep apnea, atypical glandular epithelium in the left upper lobe, pulmonary infiltrates, peripheral ground glass opacity in the left apex
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19193086
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 19193086.
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 obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to a duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for COPD, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's respiratory condition and his military service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
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