The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death. The appellant asserts that the Veteran was exposed to chemicals during service and this exposure caused respiratory disorders, which led to his death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is insufficient evidence to determine the cause of the Veteran’s death without further medical examination and opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory disorders
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20013649
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 20013649.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an undiagnosed illness manifested by joint pain and allergic reactions, skin disorders and respiratory disorders claimed as due to hydrocarbon exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and further development is needed before a decision can be made on the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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