COPD decisions — 2008

The Board denied the veteran's petitions to reopen his service connection claims for various conditions, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted.

The Board has granted service connection for pleural plaques due to asbestos exposure during service. Service connection for COPD is denied as it is not related to service or asbestos exposure.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, COPD, and skin cancer. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus. The claim for COPD is being remanded as it requires further medical assessment.,Service connection was not granted for bilateral hearing loss or bilateral tinnitus due to lack of current evidence of these conditions, and no link between service and these disabilities could be established.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have residuals of scarlet fever, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral eye disorders, or COPD as a result of service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a lung disorder and granted his claim, finding that there is sufficient evidence to establish that his current lung disability is related to his in-service pneumonia.

The veteran's hypertension was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected COPD.,There is no document prior to June 3, 1994 that can be construed as a claim for service connection for COPD.

The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death, COPD and pneumonia, was not linked to service or any condition in service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected PTSD caused him to use tobacco products, which in turn led to his development of COPD and an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Therefore, these conditions are granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD.

The Board found no evidence to support the veteran's claims for service connection for asbestosis or COPD, and denied his claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, shell fragment wounds to his right knee and head, and residuals from those injuries. The Board also found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen a claim for atrophied testicles with erectile dysfunction.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. Bilateral defective hearing and chronic tinnitus were not shown to have been present in service or at any time thereafter, while the residuals of a fractured nose were granted as part of an increased evaluation. The other conditions were not shown to be related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for depression, breathing problems (including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and rhinitis), erectile dysfunction, neck disability, sleep apnea, and increased rating for chronic back strain. The decision also addressed whether new and material evidence had been received to reopen previously denied claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected PTSD did not contribute substantially or materially to his death, and therefore denied service connection for cause of death.

The veteran's cause of death was not due to service or a service-connected disability. Service connection for the cause of death is denied.

The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized emergency medical treatment provided by Samaritan Medical Center on June 18, 2006 was denied because the VAMC found that he had alternative insurance and did not submit a signed certification of non-insurance within the required time frame.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C, COPD and bronchitis with upper respiratory infection, and recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax as there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for additional medical opinions regarding service connection and increased evaluation issues.

The Board denied service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hemorrhoids, finding that the conditions were not related to service or exposure to herbicides.