COPD decisions — 2022

The Veteran's lung disorder, including COPD, is granted as service connected due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his Vietnam service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection for residuals of malaria and COPD.

The Veteran's COPD is granted as service connected due to presumed exposure to Agent Orange during his military service in Vietnam.

The Board granted service connection for COPD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are consistent with and indicative of COPD. Service connection was denied for a medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness (MUCMI) due to lack of evidence attributing the symptoms to an undiagnosed illness or known clinical condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinion regarding whether COPD was aggravated by ILD. The Veteran's COPD is being remanded for an additional VA examination and etiological opinion.

The Board has withdrawn the claim for TDIU and has remanded the case for further development, including a respiratory system examination to address whether COPD is associated with asbestosis prior to August 13, 2018.

The Board has denied service connection for heart condition, skin disease, and diabetes mellitus due to exposure to Agent Orange. The claims for tuberculosis and back disability have been reopened but are still pending as they were not fully adjudicated in the May 1999 decision. Service connection is also being remanded for fatigue.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's COPD may be related to his service-connected asthma, but needs further clarification on whether it is aggravated by it. The case is sent back for a more detailed opinion.

The Veteran's allergic conjunctivitis is granted a 10 percent evaluation for the entire period on appeal. Service connection for bone loss and COPD are denied, while service connection for allergy shot residuals including food allergies and thyroid disorder is remanded.

The claim to reopen the issue of service connection for a respiratory disability is granted. The claim for service connection for a respiratory condition, to include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is remanded.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's COPD may be related to his service, specifically presumed herbicide exposure. However, a more comprehensive review and opinion is needed due to an incomplete VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD and CAD, finding that the evidence supports a direct link to the Veteran's military service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's COPD is related to his in-service contraction of Valley fever, but the VA examiner's opinion is inadequate. The case must be remanded for a more thoroughly reasoned addendum opinion.

The Board has determined that the case should be remanded to further evaluate whether the Veteran's aortic aneurysm was caused by or etiologically related to service, and if so, whether it contributed substantially or materially to his cause of death from hypertensive heart disease with heart failure.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's respiratory disorder and service, including his in-service exposure to dust and jet fuel.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current pulmonary conditions, including COPD and chronic bronchitis, are not linked to his service, specifically the episode of pneumonia during active duty. The medical opinions provided by VA physicians do not support a link between these conditions and his in-service respiratory issues.

Service connection for prostate disability, stomach disability (including ulcers and GERD), lung disability (including COPD and asthma), and skin cancer is denied. The Veteran's lung disability and skin cancer are remanded for further review.

The Veteran's sinusitis was granted service connection. The Board found that the Veteran's character of discharge for the period from January 2005 to October 2008 should be remanded, as well as his claims for psychiatric disorders, cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, sacroiliac weakness, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral leg shin splints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral hammertoes, bilateral foot disorder, hypertensive heart disease, high blood pressure, emphysema, COPD, bronchiectasis, sleep apnea, maxilla oral surgery scarring, tooth loss and periodontal disease, skin cancer, facial scarring, and hemorrhoids.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to a recent ruling in Bradley v. Peake, which allows for the possibility of SMC based on a single disability.

The Veteran's PTSD and spontaneous collapsed lung with COPD were granted earlier effective dates, but the PTSD claim was denied due to lack of evidence showing an increase in disability within a year prior to the claim.