The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a lung condition, including COPD, pulmonary nodules, and ARD, due to missing records from the Veteran's period of active and inactive duty between 1976 and 1980.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary because no VA examiner with access to the full record has opined on a potential connection between the Veteran's lung conditions and his service.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), pulmonary nodules, acute respiratory distress (ARD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 2, 2024
- Citation
- 24000081
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for supraventricular arrhythmia, chronic paronychia, psoriasis and rosacea (claimed as skin condition), pulmonary nodules, and valvular heart disease.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for pulmonary nodules and remanded the claims for hypertension, thyroid nodules, valvular heart disease, cataracts, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction due to missing records and inadequate opinions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical dysplasia, tension headaches, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), and denied increased ratings for right elbow flexion, supination and pronation, extension, and scars. The Board also remanded claims for fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and irritable bowel syndrome.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), emphysema, and left shoulder degenerative arthritis to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error and to satisfy a regulatory or statutory duty that may aid in substantiating the Veteran's claims.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.