The Board has denied service connection for recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax of the left lung and remanded the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish that the Veteran's pre-existing spontaneous pneumothorax worsened during active service, nor did it provide a clear and unmistakable finding of aggravation. The Board also noted insufficient medical opinions regarding the acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax of the left lung, schizoid personality disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2020
- Citation
- A20015450
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.
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The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions and further development is needed.
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The Board has granted service connection for bruxism but has remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, as secondary to service-connected headaches.
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The Board has granted compensation benefits for the Veteran's heart disorder under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, but has remanded to consider a secondary psychiatric disorder claim.
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