The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his asthma with bronchitis, left knee disability, COPD, and diverticulitis claims.,The Veteran’s kidney condition claim requires additional private treatment records from 'The Renal Associates' to be associated with the file.
The deciding factor: The current respiratory conditions examination is inadequate for rating purposes due to the examiner not reviewing the Veteran's medical records as part of the examination. Therefore, a new VA examination is needed.,VA treatment records show the Veteran has a left knee disability and gastrointestinal issues while in service. An examination is necessary to determine if these disabilities are related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- asthma, bronchitis, chronic kidney disease, left knee disability, COPD, diverticulitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20052900
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 20052900.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current respiratory disability and active duty service. The VA examiner concluded that the COPD was more likely due to tobacco use rather than asbestos exposure in service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient rationale in the July 2012 VA examination for the Veteran's left knee disability, and a new addendum opinion is needed.
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