The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development regarding the Veteran's exposure to asbestos in service and post-service, as well as the relationship between his pleural effusion disability and any asbestos-related disease.
The deciding factor: Incomplete documentation of the Veteran's exposure to asbestos during service and its impact on his current pleural effusion disability prevents a determination on the merits.
- Claimed conditions
- pleural effusion
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20006557
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for pleural effusion, pericarditis, chronic, lung changes, left, lung scarring, left, and pericardial effusion to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher disability ratings for lumbosacral strain, thoracic strain, right posterior lyric lesion SI joint, dextroscoliosis, scarring/atelectasis of left lower lobe, nonspecific mild pulmonary hyperinflation, pleural effusion, residuals of COVID-19, and unspecified anxiety disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an increased rating for pleural effusion was dismissed because the veteran died while the appeal was pending.
- Denied
The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for additional disability of the lung, including pneumothorax and pleural effusion, as a result of VA medical and surgical treatment.
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