The Board remands the claim for service connection for COPD to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed COPD, including considering TERA and asbestos exposure.
The deciding factor: The August 2024 medical opinion was found inadequate due to not addressing direct service connection adequately and not considering the synergistic effect of TCDD and asbestos exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2024
- Citation
- 24032091
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for breathing impairment to include COPD and emphysema, secondary to asbestos exposure, due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
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