COPD decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's COPD and its relation to in-service asbestos exposure. The VA must provide a new opinion on both issues.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is granted as service-connected.,Service connection for hypertension and carotid artery disability are denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of in-service incurrence or secondary to service-connected PTSD.

The Board denied service connection for respiratory disorders other than asbestosis, including COPD and bronchiectasis. The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his already service-connected asbestosis was granted at 100%.

The Veteran's lung conditions, including COPD, pulmonary nodules, and bronchiectasis, are being remanded for further evaluation due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's service connection claims for injury of cutaneous sensory nerve at ankle and foot level of the left leg, unspecified mononeuropathy of left lower limb, Conn's syndrome hypertension, left ear hearing loss, anaphylactic sensitivity, COPD, and a back disorder are all granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for respiratory disorder and heart condition due to new evidence added after the September 2021 Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient development and lack of substantial compliance with prior remand directives. The Veteran's respiratory disorder, including pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, and COPD, is being reviewed again as secondary to his service-connected carcinoma of the lung.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a respiratory disability as secondary to his service-connected disabilities, finding that there is no medical evidence showing that any of his service-connected conditions caused or aggravated his current respiratory disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for interstitial lung disease but has remanded the issue of whether COPD is aggravated by this condition. The Veteran's exposure to asbestos during service is established, and his current respiratory conditions are related to this exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of service connection for a respiratory disorder due to asbestos exposure and claimed ionizing radiation exposure. The case is being returned for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disability, including COPD, acute bronchitis, allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, mild emphysema of the lungs, moderate chronic interstitial fibrosis of the lungs, asthma, and lung granulomas, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current disabilities and service or exposure to asbestos.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasoning in a previous VA opinion regarding whether the Veteran's COPD is related to exposure to herbicide agents, specifically Agent Orange. The case needs an addendum opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for breathing and lung problems secondary to asbestos exposure, finding that there is no evidence of a respiratory disorder related to service or asbestos exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for coronary artery disease as secondary to bronchial asthma with COPD, a rating in excess of 10 percent for left-hand disability, and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's case will be returned for further examination and opinion.

Your appeals for service connection have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate these claims as he passed away before a final decision could be made.

The Veteran's COPD was rated at 60 percent prior to October 31, 2016. The criteria for a higher rating were not met as his FEV1 and FEV1/FVC levels did not meet the required percentages under Diagnostic Codes 6602 or 6604.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA PTSD examination to determine if the Veteran's PTSD is related to military sexual trauma.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a respiratory disorder, including chronic bronchitis (claimed as upper respiratory infection), is being remanded due to inadequate rationale in the VA examiners' opinions and the need for additional treatment records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's respiratory disorders, including asthma and COPD, are related to his service in the Philippines where he was exposed to volcanic ash and sand. The claim is being remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to an incomplete record, specifically missing VA treatment records from before May 2007. The Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD as due to environmental hazards is now pending and will be reviewed again.