The Board has determined that the VA examinations regarding the Veteran's respiratory disability and anal abscess are not based on an accurate factual basis, and therefore requires further development to determine if these conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not consider a previous diagnosis of pulmonary asbestosis from 1999 which was consistent with asbestos exposure during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory disability (COPD), Anal abscess
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20061110
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 20061110.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disability, including bronchitis and COPD, as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that led to the current condition.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a respiratory disability, finding the evidence did not support a direct link between the Veteran's service and his current COPD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claims for birth defects, COPD, and arthritis with bone disease are being remanded due to the need for further development.,Service connection is not granted as there is no direct evidence linking these conditions to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for right lower extremity neurological disability and respiratory disability due to additional development being necessary. The Veteran's service connection claims are not about exposure to lead, asbestos or environmental contaminants.
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