The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's asbestosis and his service. The VA respiratory examination is required to reconcile these opinions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner must provide a rationale for their opinion, reconciling it with other medical evidence of record.
- Claimed conditions
- asbestosis, bilateral pleural plaques, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20067951
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but denied service connection for irritable bowel syndrome. The Board also denied an increased rating for the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a lung condition, to include COPD, asbestosis, and bilateral pleural plaques due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service and his current lung condition.
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of the 10 percent evaluation for left knee meniscus, effective April 21, 2025, and an additional 20 percent rating was also granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a VA examination to address service connection and rating issues.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.