The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of consideration of the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service radiation exposure and the need for an addendum opinion.
The deciding factor: The examiner failed to consider the Veteran’s credible lay statements regarding his in-service radiation exposure when providing their opinion on whether the autoimmune disorder is related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Autoimmune disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Ionizing radiation
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21023643
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 21023643.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death, and the request for substitution of claimant upon death was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining additional VA examinations to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an autoimmune disorder and a blood disorder, both linked to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The case requires further examination by an independent medical expert due to the rare nature of the conditions.
- Granted
The appeal for service connection for COPD is granted due to the PACT Act presumption. Service connection for PTSD and Scheuermann's disease with fatigue are remanded as there is insufficient evidence on record. The appeal for autoimmune disorder is also remanded.
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