COPD decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's respiratory disabilities and their relation to service, specifically noting 'crepitant rales' in his service treatment records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a rating in excess of 60 percent for CAD status post CABG due to outstanding private treatment records and additional opinions needed.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a lung disorder, including COPD, due to exposure to asbestos. The case will be reviewed again with an addendum opinion from another VA examiner.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for vertigo and COPD due to inadequate examination reports and conflicting evidence. The case will be returned for further review.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examination and failure to consider relevant private opinions. The Veteran's lung disease is being reviewed again with a new VA examination.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied because his service-connected disabilities, including prostate cancer, sleep apnea with COPD, and erectile dysfunction, do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for a respiratory/pulmonary condition other than a restrictive right lobe condition, including COPD, emphysema, OSA, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, and asthma/bronchial asthma. The claim for allergic rhinitis was remanded.

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

The claim for service connection for COPD is reopened and granted. The appeal is also granted to the extent of remanding issues related to bilateral knee disorders, left shoulder disorder, and cervical spine disability.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for respiratory conditions, including as due to exposure to herbicide agents, and an acquired psychiatric disorder were denied. The Board found no evidence linking the claimed conditions to active duty service or exposure to herbicide agents.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for anemia, stomach condition, esophageal condition, hepatitis, asthma, and COPD were denied as the evidence did not show a causal relationship between these conditions and his military service or exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.,Specifically, the VA examiner found that the Veteran's diagnoses of iron deficiency anemia, gastric AVM, intestinal AVM, gastritis, candida esophagitis, and corrosive esophageal disease were less likely caused by his presumed exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD and other respiratory disabilities, including exposure to asbestos in service. The Veteran must be afforded a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his respiratory disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's COPD is related to his service, specifically his exposure to asbestos at Fort Jackson. The case will be returned for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's 30 percent rating for pneumoconiosis is restored. The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to a higher rating for pneumoconiosis and TDIU due to additional development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD is denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the condition and his active service.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for Generalized Anxiety Disorder with Major Depressive Disorder to greater than 70 percent is denied due to lack of medical evidence supporting such a high level of disability.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as he meets the schedular requirements and his service-connected conditions render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's tuberculosis and COPD have worsened, and the Board has ordered a new examination to assess their current severity.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder, including bronchitis, sleep apnea, and COPD, as well as bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate July 2015 C&P examination and incomplete medical records. The Veteran's COPD is being reviewed for potential connection to in-service exposure through shower steam.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, including COPD, is granted. The claim for erectile dysfunction as secondary to his prostate disability is also granted.

The Board denied service connection for COPD and OSA, finding no evidence of such conditions during active service or a direct relationship to service. The Veteran's current diagnoses were not established until years after separation from service.,For diabetes mellitus, the Board found that there was insufficient evidence to establish a direct causal link between the condition and service.