The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and basilar scarring of the lungs due to potential exposure to diesel fumes in his living quarters during service, as well as multiple chest X-rays taken within a short period.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not consider whether the Veteran's reported in-service exposure to diesel fumes caused his current COPD or basilar lung scar, and also did not address the potential causation of the basilar scarring by the multiple chest X-rays during service.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), basilar scarring of the lungs
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 28, 2021
- Citation
- 21032867
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 21032867.
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.
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asthma, COPD, pancreatitis, stroke, and left arm weakness (claimed as secondary to stroke) based on the presumption of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or due to in-service exposure.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking readjudication of the previously denied claim for PTSD and multiple other conditions is dismissed due to a procedural defect. The Veteran's authorized representative at the time the appeal was submitted did not have the authority to file the appeal.
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