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
- Not verified here — check the original 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 indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A25101198.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
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