COPD decisions — 2011

The Veteran's respiratory disability including COPD and asthma was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's COPD is related to his exposure to environmental hazards in service, and thus grants service connection for COPD.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, including asthma and COPD, due to asbestos exposure. The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the current respiratory disorders began in service.

The Board has remanded the case for recalibration of the Veteran's radiation dose estimates and further development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA examinations and updating medical records. The issues of service connection for COPD as due to an undiagnosed illness and secondary service connection for hypertension are being addressed.

The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be myocardial infarction, with underlying immediate causes being congestive heart failure and COPD. The Board found the medical evidence in equipoise, granting service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for neck/cervical spine disorder, low back disorder, and COPD are being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining medical records and an examination.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD, finding that the Veteran's current lung disability is related to his periods of active service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current respiratory conditions (COPD, pneumonia, and bronchitis) are not service-connected as they were not causally related to his active service. The most probative medical evidence indicated that these conditions are more likely due to his long-term smoking habit.

The Board found that COPD was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and denied the Veteran's claims for service connection. The Board also noted that hypertension, while present after discharge, did not have a direct relationship to service.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have any restrictive impairment resulting from his service-connected right upper lobectomy, and concluded that the criteria for a compensable rating are not met.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current lung disability, to include COPD, associated with active service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for a vocational rehabilitation examination. The RO will obtain any missing Social Security Administration (SSA) records, including those from March 2002 to April 2007, and schedule a VA vocational rehabilitation examination.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining SSA records and providing a VA examination to address the issues of service connection and aggravation.

The Veteran's current respiratory disorder, diagnosed as COPD, is not considered to have been incurred in service. The Board finds the preponderance of evidence against a link between his current condition and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for a VA examination to clarify the nature of his respiratory disabilities and their relationship to service.

The Veteran's Type II diabetes mellitus and chronic respiratory/pulmonary disorder (including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) are not service-connected as they did not manifest during or within one year after his military service, nor is there evidence of a nexus to service.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, combined with presumed exposure to herbicides in the Republic of Vietnam, are found to have contributed to his death. The Board grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board found that the Veteran's COPD and asbestosis are not related to service, including exposure to herbicides. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic lung disease, to include bronchitis, COPD, and asbestosis is being remanded due to the need for additional development.