The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding the Veteran's claims of service connection for COPD, specifically due to exposure to TCE and bronchitis during service.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to provide a new examination to determine if the Veteran's COPD is related to his in-service exposures to TCE and bronchitis.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Disorder, Lumbar Disorder, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 22, 2023
- Citation
- 23010795
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 23010795.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected lumbar disorder rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment prior to May 30, 2017.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be due to COPD, but the Board found no evidence linking this condition to his service or exposure to herbicide agents. As such, service connection for the cause of death is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's COPD with OSA has been granted an initial rating of 60 percent effective May 1, 2019. The claim for separate ratings is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for OSA and COPD on a secondary basis, as well as the initial rating for constipation. The issues of entitlement to SMC-HB and TDIU have been dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.
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