The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's shortness of breath and his active-duty service, including exposure to environmental hazards. A VA examination is needed to determine if any disability identified had its onset during or is otherwise related to his service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that an adequate VA examination with a medical opinion was necessary due to the Veteran's Gulf War exposure and the need to consider total potential exposure through all applicable military deployments and the synergistic, combined effect of TERAs.
- Claimed conditions
- shortness of breath, chest condition
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 6, 2024
- Citation
- A24081426
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 A24081426.
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's appeals for service connection on four different conditions have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran during the appeal process.
- Granted
The Veteran's shortness of breath and Hodgkin's lymphoma are granted service connection, but his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and acquired psychiatric disorder are denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a chest condition as there is no current diagnosis of such a disability and the Veteran did not have symptoms causing functional impairment of earning capacity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing records and a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The claims will be readjudicated after obtaining any necessary records.
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