The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of medical records and the need for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected shell fragment wound right chest with retained foreign bodies in the right lung contributed to his death from pulmonary interstitial fibrosis and COPD.
The deciding factor: The immediate cause of death was listed as pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, which is related to the Veteran's service-connected shell fragment wound right chest with retained foreign bodies in the right lung. The Board needs to obtain medical records and provide a VA medical opinion on whether the service-connected condition contributed to the death.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 18, 2022
- Citation
- 22029483
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 22029483.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
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- Dismissed
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