The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and his military service, including herbicide agent exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not adequately address the Veteran’s contentions about herbicide agent exposure and the medical treatise article submitted by the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20068432
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20068432.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, including as due to exposure to herbicides and burn pits, should be remanded. The AOJ must obtain a VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's pulmonary fibrosis.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was denied, while the Veteran's claim for service connection for diarrhea as secondary to his service-connected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was granted.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, finding that the Veteran's exposure to toxic occupational exposures during his military service is at least as likely as not a primary cause of his condition.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for pulmonary hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
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