The Board remands the claim for service connection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to obtain additional medical opinions and examinations as required by the PACT Act.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary due to a lack of evidence regarding the etiology of COPD, including whether it was caused or aggravated by service-connected conditions and exposure to toxic substances during service.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2025
- Citation
- A25057194
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 gastroesophageal reflux disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but denied service connection for irritable bowel syndrome. The Board also denied an increased rating for the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric condition.
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of the 10 percent evaluation for left knee meniscus, effective April 21, 2025, and an additional 20 percent rating was also granted.
- Granted
The Board granted an increased (Level 2) stipend in the PCAFC for the Veteran's caregiver due to the need for continuous supervision and protection based on the Veteran's medical conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues for further development and readjudication by the AOJ.
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