Citation Nr: 21064491 Decision Date: 10/20/21 Archive Date: 10/20/21 DOCKET NO. 17-21 814 DATE: October 20, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is remanded. REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDING AND CONCLUSION The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Army from November 1990 to July 1991, to include service in Southwest Asia. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a rating decision issued in June 2016 by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The Veteran testified before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge at a February 2020 hearing. This matter was previously remanded by the Board in May 2020 for additional development. Prior to the promulgation of a decision in the instant appeal, the RO granted the issue of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea. This grant of service connection represents a complete grant of benefits sought on appeal, and that issue is therefore no longer before the Board. REASONS FOR REMAND 1. Entitlement to service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is remanded. The Veteran asserts that he is entitled to service connection for COPD. Pursuant to the May 2020 Board remand, the Veteran appeared for a VA examination for his COPD in June 2020. The examiner opined that the Veteran's disability was less likely than not related to his military service. The examiner explained that the Veteran does not have COPD but instead has a restrictive lung disease due to obesity. The examiner also noted that the Veteran had a normal HRCT scan performed in June 2015 which showed normal lung parenchyma. The examiner also opined that the Veteran's lung condition was less likely than not due to or the result of his service-connected disabilities. The examiner stated that the Veteran's restrictive lung disease is due to obesity and that PTSD fibromyalgia and asthma did not cause the Veteran to become obese. In the Veteran's August 2021 Appellate Brief, the Veteran's representative contended that his service-connected disabilities did cause his obesity and thus contributed to his restrictive lung disease. The Veteran then submitted 7 medical resources linking obesity to PTSD, stress and depression; 1 resource linking obesity to sleep apnea; and 2 sources suggesting a link between obesity and fibromyalgia. The Board finds that an addendum opinion is needed to address the resources submitted by the Veteran. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain an addendum opinion from an appropriate examiner regarding whether the Veteran's lung condition is at least as likely as not related to his service-connected disabilities and whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his obesity. Specifically, the examiner is to state (a) whether it is at least as likely as not that any of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused or contributed to his obesity; and (b) whether obesity was a substantial factor in causing or aggravating the Veteran's restrictive lung disease; and (c) whether the Veteran's restrictive lung disease would not have occurred but for the obesity caused by the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. In answering the above question, the examiner is to acknowledge and discuss the medical literature cited by the Veteran's representative regarding the possible relationship between the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his obesity. Provide a rationale to support the opinion(s). Evan M. Deichert Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board C. K. Hall, Associate Counsel The Board's decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.