COPD Board decisions

The Board denied a compensable disability rating for COPD due to lack of reliable pulmonary function test results, despite the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's COPD. The examiner is requested to provide a new opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's COPD had its onset during his active service or is otherwise related to in-service asbestos exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for COPD and asthma due to errors in pre-decisional duty to assist. The Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents is not addressed, and a new medical opinion is needed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his cause of death, finding that his service-connected PTSD did not substantially or materially contribute to his death. The underlying conditions (COPD, diabetes, high cholesterol) were found to be unrelated to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD and remanded the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and compensable ratings for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, back disability, cervical spine disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, TBI, pes planus, COPD, and GERD. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection or entitlement to higher ratings for these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer with residuals and COPD, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's COPD with OSA has been granted an initial rating of 60 percent effective May 1, 2019. The claim for separate ratings is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's respiratory disorder, including COPD, is related to service exposure at Camp Lejeune. The VA must obtain and consider recent treatment records and provide an updated opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's claimed conditions and military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (COPD, PTSD, neck disability, bilateral knee disabilities, right shoulder disability, and bilateral hearing loss) precluded him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment during the period from March 25, 2015 to December 13, 2021. As a result, he is granted a TDIU for this period.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA opinion regarding service connection for COPD. The AOJ is instructed to conduct further development, including toxic exposure assessment and prepare a TERA memorandum. A new VA clinician's opinion is needed addressing the nature and etiology of the Veteran's COPD.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's respiratory disability, including COPD and restrictive lung disease, is related to his active service.

The Board denied DIC benefits based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to insufficient evidence linking his COPD, a non-service-connected condition, to his military service.

The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the Board denied service connection for cause of death.

The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue, left hip pain, right hip pain, left knee pain, and right knee pain. The Veteran's attempt to appeal the rating decisions was dismissed due to untimely filing.

Service connection for a psychiatric disorder is granted. Entitlement to an initial disability evaluation in excess of 10 percent for COPD is dismissed due to the Veteran being in receipt of the maximum available rating, 100 percent, for the entire period of service connection. Service connection for a back condition is remanded.

The Veteran's COPD with unspecified restrictive lung disease is rated at 60 percent effective from January 26, 2024.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, GERD, respiratory disability (COPD), obstructive sleep apnea, and prostate disability. The Board found no current diagnosed disabilities and insufficient evidence of an in-service event, injury, or disease.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, COPD, was related to his in-service exposure at Camp Lejeune. As a result, service connection for the Veteran's cause of death is granted.

The Board has granted secondary service connection for COPD, finding that the Veteran's service-connected GERD aggravated his pre-existing COPD.