Chronic bronchitis decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim due to inadequate medical opinions and failure to consider his lay statements regarding shortness of breath over the last 30 years. The case is now pending for a new VA medical opinion that addresses all of his claimed pulmonary conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for bronchitis with bronchiectasis and right lower lobectomy has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate this issue as it is no longer relevant.

The Veteran's claims for recurrent pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, and COPD are all denied as there is no evidence of these conditions during service or that they are related to service.,The Veteran currently has diagnosed chronic bronchitis but the VA examiner found it less likely than not incurred in service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, foot disability (to include pes planus), and allergic rhinitis with bronchitis. The claim for service connection for skin disability (dermatitis of the hands) is also remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and degenerative arthritis of the right ankle, rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as of July 15, 2010. The Board granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board denied service connection for asthma, chronic bronchitis (claimed as chronic persistent cough), and cold weather injury residuals (Reynaud's syndrome). The evidence did not establish a link between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service.,There was no clear and unmistakable evidence that any of these conditions existed prior to service. The Board found that there is no nexus between the Veteran's claimed conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examination and failure to obtain all relevant medical records. The Veteran's respiratory conditions, including sinusitis, bronchitis, and asthma, are now subject to further review.

The Veteran's bronchitis is granted service connection. The claims for PTSD and PVD are remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions have been withdrawn and are dismissed.,Entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for chronic asthmatic bronchitis has not been met.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's respiratory disabilities, including asthma, bronchitis, and COPD. The VA needs to obtain service treatment records from Germany and provide an additional medical opinion considering the Veteran's exposure to toxic fumes in both Germany and Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, testicular hypofunction, neck disability, cervical radiculopathy, esophageal disability, back disability, bronchitis, emphysema, and COPD. The issues are related to whether these conditions were caused or aggravated by his time in service.

The Veteran's balance issues, chronic fatigue, hyperkalemia, arteriovenous fistula, bilateral foot onychomycosis, and bilateral osteomyelitis are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected diabetes. The Veteran's bilateral foot ulcers are related to his service-connected diabetes.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disability, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; service connection for obstructive sleep apnea; and total disability rating for compensation based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) due to inadequate medical opinions. The issues are inextricably intertwined.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for bronchitis due to inadequate medical opinion and need for further development.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations obtained in connection with each claimed disability are deficient and requires new examinations to determine if the Veteran's disabilities had their onset during service or are otherwise etiologically related.

The Board denied service connection for asthma and asthmatic bronchitis as the conditions existed prior to service entrance and did not worsen during active duty.

The Board has remanded the claims for cardiovascular condition, hypertension, respiratory condition (chronic bronchitis and breathing problems), and acquired psychiatric condition (depression) due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran. The claims are being remanded because there is insufficient competent medical evidence on file to make a decision.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for COPD and bronchitis due to insufficient compliance with previous remand directives.

The Board denied service connection for chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, and headaches. The Veteran's PTSD was also denied an increased rating prior to June 25, 2018.,Service connection was not established for any of the conditions due to lack of current diagnoses or evidence linking them to service.

The Board has determined that additional evidence needs to be obtained before a final decision can be made on the Veteran's claims. The Veteran is being asked to provide information about any relevant non-VA medical records and for VA to obtain them.