COPD decisions — 2020

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient information regarding whether the Veteran's respiratory problems, including asthma and COPD, preexisted service or were aggravated by service. The examiner is asked to provide a clear opinion on these issues.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder and COPD are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disability, an increased rating for ischemic heart disease, and TDIU due to incomplete medical records and the need to obtain Social Security Administration records.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete medical opinions regarding his sinus condition and its relationship to his other claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for allergic rhinitis, asthma, COPD, and esophageal stricture as secondary to his service-connected Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma due to additional development being necessary.

The Board has remanded the cases of right knee degenerative joint disease and COPD for further development. The decision on these matters is pending.

The Board has granted the appellant's application to reopen her claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, finding that new and material evidence supports a link between in-service bronchitis episodes and the development of COPD, which contributed to his death from pancreatic cancer.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including chronic foot disability, bilateral elbow disabilities, hypertension, respiratory disorder (asthma, chronic bronchitis, or COPD), right knee degenerative joint disease, and left knee degenerative joint disease. The claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further development and clarification of opinions regarding the Veteran's respiratory problems, COPD, and congestive heart failure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of his hypertension, erectile disorder, gastrointestinal disability, COPD, skin disability, and sleep apnea. The VA examiner will be asked to provide an opinion on whether these conditions are proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, type II diabetes mellitus, or other relevant conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for unspecified depressive disorder and a higher rating for asthma and COPD was denied. Service connection for sinusitis is also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a respiratory disability are remanded due to the Veteran's failure to report for an examination.

The Veteran's death was caused by end stage COPD due to diabetes mellitus, type II. The Board found that the service-connected diabetes mellitus and non-service-connected COPD contributed to the cause of death.

The Board denied service connection for COPD, finding that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that the Veteran's COPD was incurred in service or is otherwise attributable to his active service.,The Board remanded the claims for right and left knee conditions, bilateral foot conditions, and low back condition due to insufficient development of the record.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, colon cancer, COPD, heart disability, sleep apnea, peptic ulcer, hydrocele, type II diabetes mellitus, urothelial cancer (claimed as bladder cancer), cervical spine disability, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, right knee disability, and left knee disability. The cause of death claim is also remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine if COPD is secondary to sarcoidosis, and to evaluate the severity of the Veteran's sarcoidosis.

The Veteran's service-connected bronchial asthma with COPD is rated at 100% from April 10, 2013 to present. The Veteran's allergic rhinitis is not rated as it does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of VA treatment records and an updated opinion on the etiology of COPD. The Veteran's service connection claim for COPD is pending.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD/emphysema, finding that new and material evidence was submitted to reopen the claim. The Board also found a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim based on exposure to smoke during a fire aboard the USS Kitty Hawk in December 1967.

The Board denied service connection for COPD, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and active service or exposure to herbicide agents. The Veteran's COPD was attributed to his long history of smoking.