COPD decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated private treatment records and providing an addendum opinion from a clinician to address service connection for respiratory disabilities, including as due to exposure to asbestos.

The Board has remanded the claims for COPD, MAC, psoriasis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to outstanding private treatment records and inadequate VA medical opinions. The Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents in service is presumed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for shortness of breath and tinnitus, as well as an increased rating for inactive TB inactive with benign granuloma with COPD symptoms, are being remanded due to the need for additional medical development.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection for deviated septum and COPD conditions. The Veteran's claim is not granted as there is no credible evidence showing an in-service event or injury that could cause such conditions, or evidence of a current condition.

The Board denied service connection for asbestosis and COPD, finding no current diagnosis of asbestosis and insufficient evidence to establish a relationship between COPD and the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that his current condition is not related to in-service toxic chemical exposure and is more likely due to post-service smoking.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has determined that more evidence is needed to decide these cases.

The Board has remanded the case due to errors in the previous decision, including an inadequate VA medical opinion and failure to consider lay statements. The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is believed to have caused or contributed to his death by causing him to refuse hospitalization prior to his death.

The Veteran's children are not eligible for accrued benefits as the appellant is not a valid claimant due to her age and status.

The Board denied service connection for COPD and esophageal cancer, finding that the evidence did not support a link to active service or exposure to herbicide agents.

The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and COPD have been rated at 60 percent since March 1, 2018. The Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted for this period.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for further medical examination and opinion regarding the relationship between her current conditions and service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD and mild centrilobular emphysema have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's COPD is granted as service-connected due to direct evidence linking it to his in-service exposure to burn pits and particulate matter.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II with nephropathy on a presumptive basis due to the Veteran's diagnosis within one year of discharge. The COPD claim is remanded as there are insufficient medical opinions regarding its etiology.

The Veteran's asbestosis, diagnosed as pleural plaquing with COPD, has been rated at 30 percent since May 1, 2017. The VA determined that the evidence does not support a higher rating based on current pulmonary function test results.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of the Veteran's death and its relation to service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by any service-connected disability, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for cause of death.

The Veteran's COPD is related to in-service herbicide exposure and service connection for COPD is granted. The issue of secondary service connection for sleep apnea due to diabetes is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The Board also remanded cases regarding chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), migraine headaches, sinusitis, and rhinitis due to OSA.