The Board remands the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD to obtain a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) examination, as the record does not contain an opinion that considers the total potential exposure through all applicable deployments and the synergistic, combined effect of all toxic exposure risk activities.
The deciding factor: Remand is required due to the lack of an opinion considering the total potential toxic exposure during service in Southwest Asia and other duties.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25053683
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.
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, hiatal hernia, COPD, and prostate cancer as a result of toxic exposure during the Veteran's military service.
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