COPD Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's COPD with pneumoconiosis and its relation to service, specifically exposure to asbestos and herbicide agents in Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and COPD with bronchitis due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran must be provided new VA examinations based on a review of his medical records.

The Board has remanded the cases of asbestosis, pulmonary fibrosis, COPD, and congestive heart failure for further examination to determine if these conditions are related to service or asbestos exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lung condition, including COPD as a residual of pneumonia, is not related to his service and therefore denied the claim.

Service connection for a respiratory disability, including COPD, asthma, emphysema, and lung cancer, is granted. Service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death is also granted.

The Board denied service connection for a lung disorder, finding that the Veteran's preexisting weight condition did not worsen during service and that his current lung disorders are unrelated to in-service upper respiratory infections.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and need for further medical opinions regarding his claimed conditions. The claims are related to in-service noise exposure, burning diesel fuel, gas chamber training, cold weather exposure, and handling heavy equipment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for COPD, residuals of a back injury, and a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The decision concluded that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Board denied a compensable disability rating for service-connected bullous emphysematous chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to the FEV-1 test results not meeting the criteria for a compensable rating.

Service connection for asthma is granted, and disability ratings are granted for left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, right knee meniscal condition, and right knee instability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current COPD is related to his in-service aggravation of pneumonia, and service connection for COPD is granted.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's COPD may be related to her active service, but needs additional evidence and a medical opinion to make this determination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus has been reopened due to new evidence. The claims for diabetic neuropathy and sleep apnea with COPD are being remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the diabetes mellitus claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a noninitial compensable disability rating for his service-connected residuals of pneumonia and TDIU based on this condition, finding that his current respiratory conditions are more likely due to nonservice-connected COPD with an asthmatic component.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an eye disability, hepatitis C, COPD, AAA, and PVD have been denied. The issues of service connection for a bilateral ear injury and peripheral vascular disease of the right and left lower extremities remain pending and are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD, finding that it is at least as likely as not caused by the Veteran's service-connected interstitial lung disease/asbestosis.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service-connected due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents. Other claims for service connection are remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is denied because he does not have any service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and his claims for service connection for renal cancer and COPD were denied. The Board found that the VA treatment did not contribute to the Veteran’s death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for pulmonary disorder and sleep disorder other than sleep apnea due to additional development being required. The issues are related to service connection, with exposure to burn pits in Afghanistan considered.