Chronic bronchitis Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the appellant's lung disability is related to service.

The Veteran's current bronchitis and COPD are found to have been incurred during service, granting the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatic steatosis due to contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune was denied. The VA examiner found no causal relationship between the Veteran's current liver condition and his in-service exposure.

The Veteran's COPD was initially rated at 10% prior to October 25, 2007 and increased to 30% thereafter. The claim is granted for the period prior to October 25, 2007 but denied on and after that date.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were withdrawn. The low back disability was rated as 10 percent prior to May 23, 2014; the gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was not rated higher than 30 percent; and the psychiatric disability was rated as 70 percent from March 8, 2010, to May 23, 2014.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right ear hearing loss, left shoulder disability, lower respiratory disease, gastrointestinal disability, and headache disability. The appeals were remanded multiple times but ultimately denied.

The Board granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for testicular disease and testicular neoplasm, persistent cough (bronchitis), but denied his claim for tuberculosis. The decision on cold sores was withdrawn by the Veteran during a hearing.

The Veteran's asthmatic bronchitis is rated at 100 percent, effective September 2006. The issue of entitlement to a TDIU is rendered moot as the Veteran is already in receipt of a 100 percent schedular rating for his service-connected condition.

The Veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis and chronic bronchitis were rated at the minimum levels prior to December 2014, with a 10 percent rating for each condition. The Board found that these ratings adequately reflected the severity of his disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted. The claim for chronic bronchitis has not yet been decided.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted from February 13, 2015. Prior to that date, his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment. From that date, the combined rating of 90 percent due to bilateral upper extremity neuropathy and cervical spine disability made a TDIU warranted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left eye disorder is not related to his military service, including as a residual of a left eye contusion. The claim for respiratory disorder was denied due to lack of evidence linking it to service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining evidence of exposure to toxic chemicals while stationed at Fort McClellan in 1972 and determining whether service connection can be established based on direct service connection or a relationship between the Veteran's respiratory disorders and her military service.

The Board has granted service connection for asbestos pleural disease and respiratory disorder (COPD and chronic bronchitis) due to in-service asbestos exposure.

The Veteran's service connection claim for COPD and acute bronchitis is denied as there is no evidence of a link between his active duty service and the conditions.

The Board found that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's chronic bronchitis, fibromyalgia, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are related to his military service. Service connection was granted for these conditions based on their presumptive relationship with his service in the Persian Gulf War.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of IBS and service connection for cholecystectomy, peptic ulcer disease, esophageal spasm, muscle tension headaches, and memory loss have been granted. The effective date is set at the date of receipt of the claim.

The Veteran's reactive airway disease, to include asthma and bronchitis, was rated at 30 percent prior to April 1, 2013. The evidence does not support a higher rating during this period.

The Veteran's respiratory and right ankle disabilities are not service-connected.,The Veteran's current right ankle disability is not related to her service-connected left knee or left ankle disabilities.