The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's shortness of breath, including COPD, is aggravated by his service-connected Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The Veteran contends that his shortness of breath began early in chemotherapy and has not changed since his lymphoma went into remission.
The deciding factor: The Board found the previous medical opinions inadequate and called for a new opinion to address whether the Veteran's shortness of breath is at least as likely as not aggravated by his service-connected Hodgkin's Lymphoma, including any chemotherapy-induced pulmonary toxicity.
- Claimed conditions
- Shortness of breath, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2023
- Citation
- 23001173
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 880 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 23001173.
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 Veteran's claim for a higher level of SMC was denied as the Board found that he is already in receipt of SMC at the (l) rate based on need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease with congestive heart failure. A second award of SMC at the (l) rate based on need for regular aid and attendance was not warranted.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there is no competent evidence linking any principal or contributory cause of his death to his service.
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