COPD decisions — 2022

The Board has granted service connection for COPD, finding that the Veteran's exposure to asbestos during his military service is causally related to his current condition.

The Veteran's lung condition is remanded for further development, including obtaining a new VA opinion to determine if his disability was caused by in-service herbicide agent exposure.

The Board has found the VA opinions inadequate and remanded for further development to determine if COPD is related to service, including presumed asbestos exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine disorder and acquired psychiatric disorder have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeals during a hearing.,The claim for service connection for tinnitus has been reopened due to new evidence, but it remains denied.

The Veteran's GERD is granted a 10 percent disability rating. The right shoulder disability remains at 20 percent. The acquired psychiatric disorder is granted a 50 percent rating from March 10, 2015 to October 20, 2020 and TDIU is granted prior to August 2, 2016.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension, kidney disability, eye disability (jaundice), respiratory disability, and anemia due to inadequate VA medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to exposure to herbicide agents, asbestos, and contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune. The claims will be reviewed again with proper development of evidence.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for COPD and peripheral neuropathy. The Veteran is also seeking a higher rating for his asbestosis.

The Board has determined that there have been deficiencies in the VA opinions and remanded the case for further development. The claim is now being returned to obtain new medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's respiratory disorders, including asthma and COPD.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to conflicting medical opinions regarding the etiology of the respiratory disorder. The Veteran's service treatment records were silent for any respiratory complaints, but there is a probable likelihood that the Veteran was exposed to asbestos during service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to his respiratory disorder and associated scar, as these issues are inextricably intertwined with a previously granted claim of service connection for cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and hypertension. The VA will provide an opinion on whether the now service-connected conditions either caused or aggravated the Veteran's asserted respiratory disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient findings regarding the Veteran's mustard gas exposure and the relationship between his cause of death and service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and disability ratings have been dismissed due to his death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these claims as he passed away during the appeal process.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to new evidence linking his major depressive disorder to his death. The Board granted service connection, assigning a 100% rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a lung disability, including COPD, finding that there is not enough evidence to link his current condition to his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for a respiratory and lung condition due to insufficient reasoning in the previous VA examination. The examiner needs to provide an addendum opinion addressing whether the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service, including exposure to chemicals.

The appeal for service connection of a bilateral knee disability is dismissed. The appeals for service connection of lumbar spine, stroke residuals, COPD, heart disability, and bilateral hearing loss disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's asthma is granted service connection due to exposure to burn pits during his military service in Southwest Asia. The Board has also expanded the claim to include other respiratory disabilities, but these are remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran seeks earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for COPD and PTSD. The Board finds that his 1971 claim was abandoned due to failure to provide requested information, and thus cannot serve as a basis for an earlier effective date.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a respiratory disability, including COPD due to asbestos exposure, an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU. The issues are being remanded because of inadequate medical opinions and missing VA treatment records.