COPD decisions — 2007

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by VA medical treatment and ruled against the appellant.

The Board denied service connection for COPD and chronic bronchitis, finding that there is no medical evidence linking the current conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's COPD is not related to his military service, including exposure to asbestos. As a result, the claim for service connection for COPD was denied. The veteran also sought TDIU based on his COPD and other unlisted disabilities; however, as he had no service-connected disabilities, this claim was also denied.

The veteran's conditions do not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance or by reason of being housebound.

The Board denied service connection for COPD as the veteran did not incur COPD in service and it is not related to his presumed exposure to herbicides.,Service connection was also denied for Chronic Demyelating Polyneuropathy due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service.

The veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the causes of his death (pneumonia, COPD, and diabetes mellitus) were not incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's respiratory disorders, including recurrent bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, and pulmonary fibrosis, were not incurred or aggravated in service. The evidence does not establish a link between his current respiratory conditions and his military service.

The VA denied the veteran's request for an increased rating for his service-connected inactive tuberculosis with COPD, currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and a VA examination to determine if the veteran's current lung disorder is due to or aggravated by asbestos exposure in service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the claims for service connection for COPD and valvular heart disease can be decided.

The VA determined that the veteran's COPD is not service-connected, as there is no evidence linking his current condition to service or herbicide exposure.

The Board found that COPD was not incurred in or aggravated by the veteran's active duty service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disorder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, migraine headaches, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The Board found that these conditions did not manifest during or as a result of his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection for various conditions, including bilateral weak feet, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, asthma, seborrheic keratosis (now claimed as skin cancer), emphysema, and keratitis with clouded vision. The appeals were not successful due to lack of evidence supporting the veteran's claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for asthma, emphysema, COPD, glaucoma of the right eye, glaucoma of the left eye, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis or degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine. The reasons were that there was no current diagnosis of these conditions in the record.

The Board denied service connection for a respiratory disorder, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), on the basis that there was no evidence linking COPD to service or exposure to ionizing radiation. The veteran's claim was based on his alleged exposure during military service but the VA expert found no causal link between COPD and ionizing radiation.

The veteran is seeking an increased evaluation for his service-connected bronchiecstasis with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The case has been remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional medical records.

The Board has determined that the VA's duties to notify and assist have not been fulfilled for this issue, and thus the case is being returned to the RO/AMC for further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, as well as his attempts to reopen previously denied claims for residuals of lumbosacral strain and head injury with headaches. The decision found no evidence supporting a link between these conditions and service or asbestos exposure.

The veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for further evaluation, including scheduling of a social and industrial survey.