The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death was acute respiratory distress syndrome due to, or as a consequence of, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; pneumonia; and multiple organ failure. The appellant seeks service connection for the cause of her husband's death, but the VA examiner found no causal relationship between his service-connected conditions and his death. She also presented an alternative theory that his death was due to Agent Orange exposure. The Board has ordered additional records from SSA and Integris Baptist Medical Center.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not find a causal relationship between the Veteran's service-connected conditions and his cause of death, leading to remand for further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Pneumonia, Multiple organ failure, Diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2022
- Citation
- 22016180
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 22016180.
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
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