The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's respiratory disability, specifically whether it is related to service exposure to burn pits. The Veteran was exposed during deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The deciding factor: Insufficient evidence to establish a direct relationship between the claimed respiratory disability and service exposure to burn pits.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic cough
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006659
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 service connection claim for chronic cough due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as the VA medical opinions were based on an inaccurate premise.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an earlier effective date and a compensable rating for chronic cough was denied, while the claims for service connection for lower back strain, spinal fusion surgery, L3-4 foraminotomy, L4-5 discectomy, and gout in the right foot were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of March 7, 2019, for the grant of service connection for pulmonary nodule and chronic cough but denied a compensable disability rating for the same condition. The claim for service connection for lesions on lungs was remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic cough, a breathing disorder, and a left foot condition as the evidence did not support a finding of a current disability or a link to active service.
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