COPD decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional development and examination regarding his psychiatric, respiratory/pulmonary, and OSA conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to conflicting opinions regarding whether the Veteran currently has a diagnosis of bronchitis, and therefore requires further examination to determine if any respiratory disability is related to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there is no evidence of a diagnosis or onset during service and insufficient medical opinion to support a link between current COPD and military service.

The Board denied service connection for COPD, finding that the Veteran's COPD is not related to his military service or asbestos exposure.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection and increased ratings related to bronchiectasis with bronchiolitis, COPD, asbestosis, coronary artery disease, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and bowel disorder. The Veteran's claims were not supported by evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his active duty service.

Service connection is denied for DDD of the lumbar spine, left hip disorder, right hip disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left foot disorder, and right foot disorder.,Service connection is denied for tinnitus, COPD, obstructive sleep apnea, and hypertension.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of COPD, hypertension, and aortic valve disease with stenosis are remanded due to the need for VA examinations to determine their etiology. The appeal is also granted on the issue of reopening his claims for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, lightheadedness, and COPD have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for a left ankle disability, obstructive sleep apnea, and granulomatous lung disease. Service connection was granted for COPD.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is denied as not related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's asthma with COPD is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected condition. Additionally, because an increased rating could impact TDIU, both issues are also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives, specifically regarding the relationship between COPD and asbestos exposure during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render her unemployable, and she is able to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's GERD is rated at a 10 percent disability rating, which is the maximum available under current regulations.,Service connection for bronchitis has been reopened and granted based on new evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the Veteran's asbestos-related lung disability and COPD. The Veteran needs to provide information about his treatment providers, including VA and private ones, for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a lung disorder other than asbestosis, to include emphysema and COPD, and an initial compensable rating for his asbestosis. The reasons are that there is insufficient evidence on record regarding the relationship between the Veteran's in-service symptoms and findings and his current diagnoses, and that he should be provided with a VA examination to assess the severity of his asbestosis.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new theories of entitlement and a need for additional medical examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and rating for various conditions have been denied. The issues of service connection are being remanded due to the need for further development regarding alleged exposure to herbicide agents or other chemicals during his time in Okinawa.

The Veteran's lung disorder and PTSD claims are denied as there is no evidence of a service connection relationship to the claimed exposures or events. The acquired psychiatric disorder claim is also denied.

The Veteran's service connection claim for ischemic heart disease due to herbicide exposure has been granted. However, his claims for prostate and neuropathy disabilities are remanded.,Service connection for lower back disability and COPD is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and breathing condition (COPD and pneumonia) were denied as there was no in-service incurrence or relationship to service.