The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disability, an increased rating for ischemic heart disease, and TDIU due to incomplete medical records and the need to obtain Social Security Administration records.
The deciding factor: Incomplete medical records and the need to obtain Social Security Administration records prevented a complete evaluation of the Veteran's claims.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), lung nodule
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20065147
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20065147.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's lung disability, including COPD and lung nodule, is found to be related to his service. Service connection for this condition is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for tinnitus, liver disorder (MASLD), and COPD are remanded due to incomplete or inadequate evidence. The claim for service connection is also remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's respiratory condition, including interstitial lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis, asthma and lung nodule, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his in-service Agent Orange exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the VA medical opinions are inadequate and remands the case for a new examination to address the etiology of the Veteran's sarcoidosis, COPD, and lung nodules disabilities.
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