The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a new VA examination to assess the severity of his right foot disability. For the respiratory disorder claim, an addendum opinion is needed to determine if any diagnosed respiratory disorders are related to asbestos exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found that further development was necessary due to incomplete or unclear opinions in previous VA examinations and medical opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the right first metatarsophalangeal joint status post fracture of right great toe (right foot disability), respiratory disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20074955
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 961 · Granted: 20% (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 20074955.
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 claims for service connection must be remanded due to inadequate examinations and opinions. The Veteran's skin disorder, respiratory disorder, Crohn's disease, eye disorder, and migraines are all being reviewed again with new medical evaluations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, including COPD and emphysema, is being remanded due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The Board finds that the evidence submitted tends to disprove a link between his current condition and active service.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a respiratory disorder is dismissed. Service connection for right hand palmar nodule and service connection for a right hand scar are granted, but the issue of service connection for a right hand disorder other than service-connected right hand palmar nodule is remanded.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all issues of service connection due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.
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