The Board remands the claim for a new medical opinion regarding the Veteran's emphysema, to include pulmonary nodules, and its relation to exposure from burn pits in Southwest Asia during service.
The deciding factor: The previous medical opinion did not adequately address the Veteran's contention that his condition is related to exposure to burn pits and toxic chemical fumes during service.
- Claimed conditions
- emphysema, pulmonary nodules
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 5, 2025
- Citation
- A25040861
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,549 · 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 A25040861.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lung condition, including pneumonia residuals, COPD, and emphysema, is remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his military service. The appeal is reopened based on new evidence.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking readjudication of the previously denied claim for PTSD and multiple other conditions is dismissed due to a procedural defect. The Veteran's authorized representative at the time the appeal was submitted did not have the authority to file the appeal.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, emphysema, and prostate cancer as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his COPD with ILD, specifically bronchiectasis and pulmonary nodules as it is a freestanding claim that cannot be filed after a final decision.
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