COPD Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives, specifically regarding the relationship between COPD and asbestos exposure during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render her unemployable, and she is able to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's GERD is rated at a 10 percent disability rating, which is the maximum available under current regulations.,Service connection for bronchitis has been reopened and granted based on new evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the Veteran's asbestos-related lung disability and COPD. The Veteran needs to provide information about his treatment providers, including VA and private ones, for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a lung disorder other than asbestosis, to include emphysema and COPD, and an initial compensable rating for his asbestosis. The reasons are that there is insufficient evidence on record regarding the relationship between the Veteran's in-service symptoms and findings and his current diagnoses, and that he should be provided with a VA examination to assess the severity of his asbestosis.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new theories of entitlement and a need for additional medical examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and rating for various conditions have been denied. The issues of service connection are being remanded due to the need for further development regarding alleged exposure to herbicide agents or other chemicals during his time in Okinawa.

The Veteran's lung disorder and PTSD claims are denied as there is no evidence of a service connection relationship to the claimed exposures or events. The acquired psychiatric disorder claim is also denied.

The Veteran's service connection claim for ischemic heart disease due to herbicide exposure has been granted. However, his claims for prostate and neuropathy disabilities are remanded.,Service connection for lower back disability and COPD is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and breathing condition (COPD and pneumonia) were denied as there was no in-service incurrence or relationship to service.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD and the cause of death due to COPD. The decision is based on evidence that suggests exposure to herbicides during service may have contributed to the Veteran's development of COPD.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired chronic respiratory condition, including COPD and right basilar pleural scarring, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete records and will seek additional information from the Veteran regarding his private treatment providers.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma and COPD, as well as his initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of in-service onset or relationship to service for these conditions.

The rating reduction for service-connected COPD from 30 percent to 10 percent, effective January 1, 2018, was proper due to a clear and unmistakable error in the October 2016 rating decision.

The Veteran's right below the knee amputation was not caused by VA negligence, and his service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for individual unemployability.

The Board has granted service connection for low back disorder, neck disorder, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, obstructive sleep apnea, COPD, and nasal condition.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for colon cancer, earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and an earlier effective date for a 40% rating for bilateral hearing loss have been withdrawn.,The claim for reopening of a previously denied claim of service connection for asthma has been granted. The claim for reopening of a previously denied claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder has also been granted.,Service connection for hypertension has been granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disability, diagnosed as COPD, finding that there is no credible and probative evidence indicating the COPD is related to any in-service incident or event.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including tinnitus, right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, hypertension, neck condition, low back condition, COPD, and GERD. The reasons given were that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and service.