COPD decisions — 2019

The Board has decided to remand the cases of COPD and asbestosis for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing an opinion regarding service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected Major Depressive Disorder substantially contributed to his death from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and the Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board has denied service connection for left knee condition as secondary to residuals, fracture or calcis right foot.,The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for COPD related to asbestos exposure and Coronary Artery Disease as secondary to COPD.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions, including low back disorder, bilateral leg disorder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, schizoaffective disorder, and sleep apnea. Additional records are needed to support these claims.

The Board has denied service connection for asthma, COPD, emphysema, and sleep apnea. The left knee disability claim is remanded due to the need for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for cholesterol, increased SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ, initial rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction, increase in disability rating for chronic renal insufficiency with hypertension, separate compensable rating for hypertension, and initial rating in excess of 30 percent for bilateral cataracts are all remanded. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Board denied the appellant's petition to reopen a claim of entitlement to recognition as J.S. (the Veteran's adult child) as the helpless child on the basis of permanent incapacity for self-support prior to attaining the age of 18 due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for heart condition, hypertension, and COPD due to incomplete records and insufficient medical opinions. The AOJ is required to obtain additional records from Detroit VAMC and Dr. Boren, as well as a new opinion on whether any heart condition meets the criteria for ischemic heart disease (IHD) and if it is etiologically related to service, including herbicide agent exposure. An etiological opinion regarding hypertension is also needed. The AOJ must issue a SOC for the claim of service connection for COPD.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disability and an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations.

The petition to reopen service connection for COPD is granted.,Entitlement to an earlier effective date, prior to June 17, 2011, for PTSD is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to PTSD is granted. The claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities and COPD are dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.

The Veteran's hypertension and migraine headaches have been granted service connection.,Service connection for sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, and COPD is remanded due to lack of medical opinions addressing the etiology of these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of COPD and asbestosis, finding that the claim was not timely filed. The effective date is set at December 9, 2010.

The Board denied service connection for COPD, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and his in-service injury. The rating for the gunshot wound, right chest, with muscle group XX damage, was remanded due to lack of examination.,The Veteran's service-connected injuries do not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5320.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a respiratory disability, including emphysema, due to in-service exposure to asbestos. The issue of whether his nonservice-connected pension benefits were appropriately discontinued and an overpayment debt was validly created is also being remanded.

The Board has denied service connection for COPD and sleep apnea, but has remanded the issues of service connection for a skin disorder (claimed as blisters on the feet) and residuals of heat exhaustion.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his military service and the heart disorder or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that caused his death.

The Veteran's service connection claim for asthma is being remanded due to incomplete STRs and the need for updated VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for COPD and undiagnosed illness, finding that there is no current diagnosis of COPD or an undiagnosed illness in his records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches due to Gulf War hazards as due to an undiagnosed illness is not reopened and denied.,Service connection for COPD is granted, with the condition related to environmental exposure during military service. The claim for service connection for abnormal liver disability is denied.