Asbestosis Board decisions

The Board remands the claim for a respiratory disorder, including asbestosis, COPD, emphysema, and sleep apnea, to obtain additional medical opinions regarding their relationship to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to June 23, 2014, for a TDIU and DEA benefits as there was no reasonable possibility that his service-connected disabilities prevented him from obtaining or maintaining employment prior to that date.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for asbestosis, asthma, and COPD to the RO for further development, including an investigation into the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for COPD, emphysema, and special monthly compensation due to a need for aid and attendance or being housebound for further development.

The Board denied a compensable disability rating for colon cancer prior to March 23, 2021 and an increased rating thereafter, as well as remanded claims for asbestosis and scar, status post colon cancer due to inadequate VA examinations.

The Board granted an effective date of March 25, 2019 for service connection for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy and asbestosis.

The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that his asbestosis was at least as likely as not due to asbestos exposure during active service.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection for asbestosis, asthma, and sleep apnea because these claims were fully granted in a subsequent rating decision.

The Board granted service connection for lung disability, diagnosed as asbestosis, benign fibrotic nodule of the lung, COVID-19 pneumonia, loculated right-sided parapneumonic pleural effusion, left upper lobectomy with persistent small left pleural effusion and COPD.

The Board denied service connection for disability related to asbestos and granted service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to a service-connected prostate cancer, while remanding the claim for vertigo due to potential toxic exposure.

The appeal for a higher disability rating was dismissed because the January 2024 rating decision implemented a previous Board decision and is not appealable. The Veteran will receive a separate decision regarding their September 2024 VA Form 10182.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death is related to asbestos exposure during service. The issues are also inextricably intertwined with the issue of additional burial benefits.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no evidence to support a link between his claimed conditions and military service.

The VA denied service connection for asbestos exposure, rhinitis, and sinusitis. The claims for bilateral pes planus and muscle pain were remanded for further evaluation.

The Board remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection of respiratory disabilities, including COPD and asbestosis. The Board found substantial compliance with some directives but not others, and conceded the Veteran's exposure to asbestos during active service.

The Veteran's asbestosis-related pulmonary fibrosis with OSA is granted a staged initial rating of 50 percent from March 13, 2019. The issue of higher staged initial ratings and entitlement to a TDIU prior to April 10, 2018, are remanded for further development.

The veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 60 percent for asbestosis prior to November 26, 2019 was denied. The claim for a 100 percent rating since November 26, 2019 was granted. The issue of an effective date prior to August 17, 2015, for TDIU is remanded.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for asbestos-related calcified pleural plaques was partially granted, with a 10 percent evaluation assigned.

The veteran's claim for asbestosis with COPD was granted an effective date of July 21, 2021. The request for an earlier effective date for special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate was denied.

The Board remanded the veteran's claim for service connection of a respiratory condition other than asbestosis, including COPD. The Board will obtain additional medical records to assist in deciding the claim.