The Board has denied service connection for a pulmonary disability and remanded the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to lack of current evidence.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no current evidence of a pulmonary disability, and the Veteran's in-service exposure to asbestos did not result in a current disability. For the psychiatric disorder, the Board noted that there is insufficient medical opinion regarding its etiology.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary disability, Acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, anxiety)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20070332
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (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 20070332.
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 Board has determined that the Veteran's pulmonary disability is related to VA medical treatment, specifically a July 2016 CT scan with contrast dye injection. The Board finds insufficient evidence to determine if this caused an additional disability and remands for further evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the VA's decision on right ear hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, and anxiety) needs to be reconsidered due to insufficient medical opinions and incomplete verification of stressor events.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a pulmonary disability and an eye disability, finding insufficient evidence to link these conditions to his military service.
- Denied
The Board has found that the Veteran's pulmonary disability is not related to his service, specifically due to asbestos exposure. The evidence does not support a diagnosis of asbestosis or any other lung condition related to service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.