The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with its previous directives, including a VA examination that did not adequately address the Veteran's lay statements regarding his exposure to mold and treatment for colds, coughing, and wheezing during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner’s opinion was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's lay reports of in-service environmental exposures and treatment without providing a rationale for their relevance or lack thereof.
- Claimed conditions
- bronchial asthma, allergic rhinosinusitis, bronchiectasis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20045326
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 20045326.
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 Veteran's service-connected bronchial asthma does not preclude him from maintaining substantial gainful employment.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his COPD with ILD, specifically bronchiectasis and pulmonary nodules as it is a freestanding claim that cannot be filed after a final decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for obstructive sleep apnea and TDIU is dismissed as the issues are already pending in the legacy system, and docketing of the January 2022 NOD was erroneous.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's COPD is a separate and distinct condition from his service-connected bronchial asthma, but it is not secondary to or aggravated by his service-connected bronchial asthma. The Board finds an addendum VA medical opinion necessary to properly determine entitlement to service connection.
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