COPD Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for COPD and tinnitus due to insufficient rationale in the VA medical opinions provided, and because VA failed to obtain relevant chest imaging studies.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, and the Board has remanded them to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between his current conditions and his military service. The issues include splenomegaly, respiratory condition (including COPD and sarcoidosis), heart condition, diabetes mellitus, and small bladder blockage.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory condition to include COPD was denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder, is granted based on VA's concession of in-service stressors. Service connection for liver problems is denied.

The Veteran's initial rating for PTSD was denied, and an effective date prior to March 17, 2017 for service connection of PTSD is also denied.,An initial rating in excess of 30 percent for COPD is remanded due to the need for additional medical evidence.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim for service connection for a heart disorder was granted. Service connection for COPD, right upper extremity numbness and tingling, left upper extremity numbness and tingling, right lower extremity numbness and tingling, and left lower extremity numbness and tingling were denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen any of these claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are granted for prolapsed hemorrhoids, bilateral hearing loss, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The remaining issues have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bunions, psychiatric disorders, and other disabilities, have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a current diagnosis of any of these conditions or a link to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the Veteran's COPD and its relationship to service, specifically his presumed exposure to herbicide agents.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently assigned a 10 percent evaluation. The Board has determined that the evidence supports a 20 percent evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss.,Service connection for type II diabetes mellitus (to include as due to herbicide exposure) and service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (to include as due to asbestos and herbicide exposure) are stayed. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered after the stay is lifted.,The Veteran has current right and left knee disorders that may be related to his military service, but a VA examination is needed to determine their etiology.,An initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for supraventricular arrhythmias is remanded. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered after the stay is lifted.,The Veteran has current right and left knee disorders that may be related to his military service, but a VA examination is needed to determine their etiology.,An initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for supraventricular arrhythmias is remanded. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered after the stay is lifted.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cause of death, finding that the Veteran's COPD is at least as likely as not related to service. The Board also found that his myelodysplastic syndrome, which was the ultimate cause of his death, is at least as likely as not related to service. Full burial benefits are now warranted due to this decision.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to address the appellant's claim for dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) under section 1151 of the U.S. Code, as well as her service connection claim for the cause of the Veteran’s death. The case is being remanded for further action.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The claim for reopening service connection for COPD was denied.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea and COPD, finding that the Veteran's current conditions did not have a direct link to his military service or any service-connected condition.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD effective from August 31, 2016. The Veteran's representative filed an informal claim on June 14, 2013, and the RO considered this as a pending claim until the Veteran submitted a formal application in August 2016.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there is no evidence linking his current diagnosis to his military service or any exposure during service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lung disorder, including COPD, left lower lung scarring, and adenocarcinoma of the left lung, as claimed due to asbestos exposure. The preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions began during service or were related to in-service asbestos exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's respiratory disorders, specifically chronic bronchitis and COPD.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD and drusen optic nerve disability due to herbicide exposure should be remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for tinnitus, hearing loss, and COPD to allow for further development of evidence.