The Board has determined that a remand is required for additional development before service connection can be decided. The Veteran's claim of residuals of pneumothorax will need to be reviewed with updated medical evidence and an examination.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner’s opinion was inadequate as it did not account for the Veteran's reported respiratory symptoms and failed to conduct current pulmonary function testing.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of pneumothorax
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20076783
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 20076783.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of pneumothorax, finding no current lung disability and resolving the condition in 1999. The Veteran's extensive treatment records did not show ongoing symptoms or diagnoses related to his 1999 pneumothorax.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a lung disorder, including obstructive lung disease and residuals of pneumothorax due to inadequate medical opinion in the prior decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed residuals of pneumothorax. The claim for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability remains denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board previously denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lung disorder, including obstructive lung disease and residuals of pneumothorax. The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Veterans Court/CAVC) granted a JMPR vacating the decision and remanding it to the Board for further development and readjudication due to deficiencies in the March 2017 VA examination.
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