COPD decisions — 2019

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as a helpless child of her father, finding that she did not provide evidence indicating she was permanently incapable of self-support prior to age 18.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sickle cell trait was denied due to lack of a current disability. The claims for color blindness, heart condition, and COPD were not established as they are congenital or developmental defects.,Service connection has been granted for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, hypertension, gout of both feet, intervertebral disc syndrome with lumbago, binocular visual field defect, and sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the left lower extremity.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to establish whether the Veteran's COPD is linked to asbestos exposure during service or environmental exposures from ship maintenance duties. The case will be remanded for these purposes.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's lung disability and his active duty service, including exposure to herbicide agents.

The Veteran's appeal regarding a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the Veteran's non-service-connected right ear had recently produced pure tone results consistent with a hearing loss disability, which is not properly before the Board. The Veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss has been rated as 0 percent since December 2014.

The Board has found that the Veteran's COPD and acquired psychiatric disorder claims should be remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records, scheduling a VA examination, and providing an addendum medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran, and it is now up to the AOJ to review this additional medical records and conduct any necessary development before readjudicating the claim.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a disability incurred or aggravated in service, and there is no evidence of herbicide exposure. The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of death, as well as service connection for a psychiatric disorder and cyanosis. The evidence did not support these claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were dismissed due to the death of the appellant, his surviving spouse.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal because a timely notice of disagreement was not received within one year from the February 2013 rating decision denying service connection for bilateral hearing loss and COPD.

The Veteran's knee and shoulder disabilities were not shown to be related to service, and his respiratory disorder is unrelated to service. Service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Veteran's service-connected chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has not met the criteria for a higher disability rating, and his claim is denied.

The Board denied the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence that his death was caused by a disability incurred in service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, COPD, heart condition, prostate cancer, and diabetes mellitus, type II due to incomplete records and potential exposure to environmental chemicals during service.

The Board dismissed all claims as the Veteran died during the appeal process and thus, no jurisdiction remains to adjudicate the merits of the cases.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there is no competent evidence linking COPD and pneumonia to active service or any service-connected disability.

The appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA examination reports and treatment records.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including obtaining relevant medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any left hand and/or right hand disability.