The Board remands the claim for service connection for hypoxemic respiratory failure as secondary to service-connected leukemia due to inadequate medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The June 2023 and January 2024 medical opinions are found to be inadequate, and a new opinion is required to address whether the Veteran's hypoxemia was caused or aggravated by his service-connected CLL.
- Claimed conditions
- hypoxemic respiratory failure
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25101198
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 A25101198.
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 an earlier effective date of June 7, 2017, for the award of a TDIU and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance but denied increased ratings and service connection for various conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of June 21, 2022 for a 100% rating for COPD with chronic bronchitis and hypoxemic respiratory failure. The evidence shows that the Veteran's condition worsened to the point where he required outpatient oxygen therapy on June 21, 2022.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to insufficient evidence linking his fatal conditions (hypoxemic respiratory failure, pulmonary fibrosis, and viral pneumonia) to exposure to Agent Orange during service. The Board also denied DIC benefits as the Veteran did not meet the criteria for receiving such benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's pulmonary disorders, including COPD, hypoxemic respiratory failure, emphysema, pleural calcified plaque and pleural nodules are being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the relationship to service. The exposure basis is presumed asbestos exposure.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.