COPD decisions — 2022

The Board has granted service connection for a left ankle disability, but has remanded the cases of respiratory and heart disabilities due to insufficient opinions on their etiology.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, ear infection, COPD, and tuberculosis due to lack of an adequate opinion.,Secondary service connection is also being considered for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including asbestosis with fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, atrial fibrillation, and right ankle sprain with instability and tendonitis, have resulted in severe impairment to employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the combined rating of 50% for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable before June 25, 2019. His TDIU claim was denied as his disabilities were not severe enough to prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the remand is necessary due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's GERD and PTSD, as well as the inextricability of the respiratory disability claim. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives and a need for further VA examination.

The Board has remanded the cases due to issues regarding the Veteran's cause of death and service-connected burial benefits. The cause of death is related to COPD, DM II, and peripheral vascular disease. The issue of service connection for the cause of death remains under review.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and failure to consider relevant evidence, including the Veteran's service treatment records. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory condition as secondary in-service exposure to asbestos is now remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death was acute respiratory distress syndrome due to, or as a consequence of, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; pneumonia; and multiple organ failure. The appellant seeks service connection for the cause of her husband's death, but the VA examiner found no causal relationship between his service-connected conditions and his death. She also presented an alternative theory that his death was due to Agent Orange exposure. The Board has ordered additional records from SSA and Integris Baptist Medical Center.

The Board has granted service connection for a respiratory disability, including recurrent pneumonia and COPD, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his active military service.

The appeal for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed. The claims of service connection for SLE, COPD, and rhinitis/sinusitis are reopened due to new evidence. Osteoporosis is granted as a separate condition.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disability, to include asthma, is remanded due to insufficient evidence. The VA will conduct an examination and provide further analysis.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to conflicting opinions regarding the Veteran's respiratory disorder and its relation to service. The case will be reviewed with a new medical opinion from a pulmonologist.

Your claim for service connection for COPD has been granted in a previous rating decision, so your appeal is dismissed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma and COPD as new and material evidence was not received to reopen these previously denied claims.

The Board has decided the claim for COPD secondary to TB is remanded due to inadequate medical opinions and need for further development.

The Veteran's claimed respiratory disabilities, COPD and/or asthma, were not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service. The Board found that the current diagnoses of COPD and asthma predated his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of any respiratory condition(s) attributable to the Veteran's service, including her in-service asbestos exposure.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and chronic liver disease including hepatitis C. The Board found that the conditions preexisted service or were not aggravated by service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for allergic rhinitis is denied. The Board has remanded the claims for respiratory diseases (COPD, asthma, and sinusitis).