COPD Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for lung cancer, COPD, and kidney disease due to incomplete medical opinions and need for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory condition is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and records.

The Board denied service connection for COPD, Sleep Apnea, HTN, DM, TBI, and Bilateral Neuropathy due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to active military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of COPD, finding that there was no CUE in the prior February 1995 rating decision and that the claim had not been appealed within one year of separation from service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between COPD and service. The Veteran's STRs show treatment for bronchitis in service, but there is no direct link provided by the VA examiner.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for bronchiectasis and COPD due to a lack of clarity in the VA examiner's opinion regarding the relationship between these conditions and asbestos exposure, as well as other potential exposures during service. The Veteran is requested to provide an addendum medical opinion.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as his service-connected chronic bronchitis with COPD and OSA warrants a 100% rating, effective July 17, 2016. He also meets the criteria for SMC at the housebound rate due to additional disabilities rated at 60% or higher.

The Veteran's service connection claim for COPD was denied. The claims for higher evaluations of left and right knee osteoarthritis were also denied, but the case is remanded for further evaluation on some issues.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions have been granted. The appeal as to the claim of service connection for burn scars of the right forearm and face is moot, and the claim is dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for asthma, COPD, and Parkinson’s disease due to a lack of current diagnoses in the record. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to service exposure or otherwise.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's respiratory disability, diagnosed as asbestosis and COPD, finding that it is related to his in-service asbestos exposure. The appeal was not about service connection at all.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and VA treatment records, as well as an addendum opinion from a clinician regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's lung disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, hyperlipidemia, esophageal varices, right inguinal hernia, and hydrocele, all of which were related to exposure to jet fuel in service. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or to exposure to jet fuel.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, has been reopened and is remanded.,Service connection for a prostate condition is denied as there is no credible evidence linking the current condition to his military service.,Service connection for bilateral foot condition/arches, hypertension, COPD, migraine headaches, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) are all remanded due to insufficient examination or opinion regarding their etiology.,The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is currently being evaluated as a new claim since it was reopened.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence to reopen the claims of service connection for pilonidal cyst, COPD, collapsed lung status post bronchoscopy, pneumonia, pericarditis (also claimed as heart infection), hypertension, benign prostate hypertrophy, myelodysplastic syndrome, myelogenous leukemia, status post-transplant with immune suppression, graft versus host disease, and diabetes mellitus has not been received. As a result, the claims are denied.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability and remanded the issue of service connection for COPD.

The Board has granted service connection for emphysema and COPD as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bronchial asthma, resolving all doubts in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to their death.

The Veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred in service, but his peripheral neuropathy of bilateral upper and lower extremities is aggravated by his diabetes mellitus. His bilateral ear injury claim has no current evidence of a disability other than hearing loss and tinnitus. His chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with emphysema is not related to service.