The Board has decided to remand the cases of bilateral hand tremor and chronic respiratory disability due to inadequate medical opinions regarding exposure to toxic chemicals during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address the Veteran's lay statements about chemical/environmental exposure during service, including his reports of tear gas use, decontamination showers setup, filling M-60 tanks with napalm, and exposure to nerve agents at Fort McCellan. The Board also noted that the January 2020 VA examiner did not have access to a February 2020 Chem Bio report which suggested possible mustard agent exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hand tremor, chronic respiratory disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20074800
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 veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder disability was reopened due to new and material evidence. Effective dates were granted for right knee instability (December 11, 2017) and left knee instability (February 12, 2018). Other issues were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic respiratory disability, thyroid disability, vision disability, and chronic paronychia as there was insufficient evidence to establish that these conditions were related to his active military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the veteran's current respiratory disability is related to his asbestos exposure during service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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