Chronic bronchitis decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted. The Board found that the evidence supports a finding of exposure to toxic materials during military service, which may be related to his current conditions.

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, left shoulder condition, neck disability, chronic right knee pain, and others. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.

The Board has remanded four issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for allergic rhinitis and/or sinusitis, bronchitis, anemia, and PTSD. Additional evidence is needed, as well as a VA examination for each issue.

The Veteran's service connection claims for traumatic myositis, left hand sprain, right middle finger trigger finger disability, chronic bronchitis, and dysuria have all been denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions.,There are no current diagnoses or symptoms related to the claimed conditions. The Veteran has not provided sufficient medical evidence to establish a present disability for any of the conditions he claims.,The absence of a current disability means that service connection cannot be granted.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for right and left leg shin splints, right and left knee disorders, and bronchitis as these issues were withdrawn by the Veteran's representative prior to a decision being made.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to outstanding VA treatment records and the need for additional examinations.

The Board denied service connection for bronchitis, finding that the Veteran's respiratory symptoms did not begin during service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,The Board also denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy, finding that there is no evidence of a causal link between the Veteran's current diagnosis and active service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bronchitis and cervical neck lordosis condition, vertigo, irritable bowel syndrome, and migraine headaches as secondary to her service-connected disability of nonspecific musculoligamentous strain, lumbar spine. The remanded issues include determining whether these conditions are aggravated by her service-connected disabilities or if they have a direct relationship with her military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his pulmonary disability, including restrictive lung disease, COPD, and bronchitis, finding that there is no evidence of a chronic condition related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a pulmonary disability, to include chronic bronchitis, is remanded due to insufficient evidence and the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's chronic bronchitis is related to service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition. The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for asthma.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, including emphysema, COPD, bronchitis and chronic upper respiratory infections, finding that there was no evidence of in-service exposure or injury related to these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for COPD and bronchitis with asthma due to a lack of reasonable efforts by VA to obtain relevant records, specifically VA treatment records from Cleveland, Ohio VAMC dated June 1969 to December 31, 1979.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for January 18, 2013 were denied as the treatment was not in an emergency situation and VA facilities were feasibly available.

The Board has remanded several claims for further development, including those related to the Veteran's lumbar spine, right and left ankle, left elbow, right elbow, cervical spine, thoracic spine, left wrist, right wrist, left hip, right hip, right knee, left knee, and chronic bronchitis disabilities. The claims are being returned to the RO for additional development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for difficulty breathing, including asthma and bronchitis. The decision is based on the need to obtain additional medical records and an updated examination to determine if the Veteran's preexisting conditions were aggravated by his service in September and October 2005.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for additional development and examination, including seeking medical evidence from a private pulmonologist and conducting an examination to determine if the Veteran's current lung disorder is related to service.

The Board denied all service connection claims, including those for hypertension, pulmonary or respiratory disability, cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities, bilateral shoulder and knee disabilities, bilateral ankle disabilities, and drug dependency. The decision also remanded the claim for right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied, and the effective dates for certain awards have also been denied. The Board found that new evidence did not meet the criteria to reopen the claims for left ear hearing loss, sinusitis, or bronchitis. Effective dates were determined based on when the claims were received.

The Veteran was granted an initial 30 percent rating for asthmatic bronchitis from June 16, 2004 to October 17, 2007.