COPD decisions — 2006

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, including those potentially linked to Agent Orange exposure or radiation. The cause of death was attributed to gastric cancer and COPD, which were not shown to be related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, COPD, and PTSD. The VA examiner found that current conditions were not attributable to service.

The Board determined that the veteran's cause of death was not caused by his active service, any presumptive period, or a service-connected disorder. Therefore, he is denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of death.

The veteran died due to COPD, but the cause of death is not service-connected. The appellant's claims for accrued benefits and nonservice-connected death pension were denied as there was no underlying claim by the veteran.

The Board denied service connection for COPD due to asbestos exposure and denied the reopening of a claim for arthritis of the legs due to cold weather injuries. The evidence did not establish that COPD was incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board finds that the veteran's preexisting pectus excavatum did not increase in severity during service, and there is no competent medical evidence of a superimposed respiratory disorder. Therefore, the veteran's current respiratory disorder is not considered to be incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board found that the appellant does not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound due to her disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for bipolar disorder, COPD, asthma, and rhinitis. The veteran's current conditions are not related to her military service.

The Board denied the reopening of the claim for service connection for cause of death due to lack of new and material evidence.

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred on May 5, 2003 for chest pain and shortness of breath are reimbursed as the treatment was related to a service-connected disability (COPD) and no VA facilities were feasibly available.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for nicotine dependence, pulmonary disorder, heart disorder, and low back disability. The decision also noted that new evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim for a low back disability but ultimately denied it on the merits.

The Board has granted service connection for a heart disability, GERD, and COPD as secondary to the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus. The claim for peripheral neuropathy is pending, and obesity does not meet VA criteria for an injury.

The veteran's appeals for service connection for COPD and skin cancer, as well as an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for PTSD, were dismissed due to the veteran withdrawing his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The veteran's current respiratory pathology, including bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is unrelated to service. The Board denies the claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for PTSD was denied as there is no credible supporting evidence of the claimed in-service stressors.,Service connection for COPD was denied due to lack of in-service manifestations and current findings are not related to service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a spontaneous pneumothorax and granted service connection for COPD. The evidence shows that the veteran had a spontaneous left lung collapse in service, which resolved without residual disability. However, his current COPD is not related to this event but rather due to years of smoking.

The veteran's application for Service Disabled Veterans Insurance (RH) was denied because he did not meet the standard of 'good health' as defined by VA guidelines, due to his non-service-connected conditions including heart disease, COPD, and bladder cancer.

The Board has determined that the service-connected bronchiectasis contributed substantially to the veteran's death, as it was a material cause of his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obesity.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including asthma, COPD, back injury residuals, neck injury residuals, head injury residuals, and a lung disability due to tobacco use or nicotine dependence. The appeals were based on new and material evidence, but there was no indication of exposure to radiation or any other basis for presumptive service connection.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a current disability of asbestosis and denied his claim for service connection.