The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions due to the Veteran's participation in a toxic exposure risk activity during his service in Afghanistan, as required by the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (PACT Act).
The deciding factor: The Board remands the claims for further development under the PACT Act due to the Veteran's participation in a toxic exposure risk activity during his service in Afghanistan.
- Claimed conditions
- allergic rhinitis, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, cervical spine disability, cutaneous abscess abdominal wall, epistaxis, hypermetropia, jaw pain, laceration without foreign body left hand and thumb, left knee pain, lesion of ulnar nerve, left upper limb, lower back pain, muscle spasm back, somatic dysfunction of lumbar and thoracic spine, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), right ankle pain, right foot pain, skin rash, sleep disorder, traumatic brain injury, upper respiratory infection
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25041459
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for scarring, right orchiopexy and remanded the claim of asbestos exposure residuals. Other claims for service connection were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine pain, allergic rhinitis, and recurrent yeast infections. The claims for service connection for generalized anxiety disorder with alcohol use disorder and left knee pain were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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