COPD Board decisions

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to verify the Veteran's claimed asbestos exposure during service and to obtain relevant medical records. The case is remanded for these purposes.

The Veteran's cause of death was attributed to COPD, CAD, and PVD. However, there is no evidence linking these conditions to his service or any presumptive exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand. The Board found the medical opinions speculative and insufficient to establish a link between the Veteran’s service and his death.

The Board vacated its previous decisions on several issues, including service connection for allergies and diabetes mellitus, increased ratings for tinnitus and alopecia areata, and earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for alopecia areata and tinnitus. The decision also remanded claims for hearing loss and COPD.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's respiratory disability, including COPD, is related to his service due to asbestos exposure. However, further examination and opinion are needed as previous opinions were not thorough enough.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss but denied service connection for COPD. Bilateral hearing loss is related to noise exposure in service, while COPD is not related to any injury or disease during service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's COPD and Agent Orange exposure. The claim will be reconsidered with a medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and COPD. The claims will be reviewed with additional medical opinions to consider the evidence of ongoing damage from acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, COPD, OSA, and gastrointestinal disorder have all been denied. The effective date for the award of service connection for tinnitus has also been denied.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service-connected, and a 10 percent rating for COPD with Interstitial Lung Disease is granted effective from April 6, 2018.,Increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss are denied.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for service connection for various conditions, including amyloid myopathy (also claimed as polymyositis), COPD, foot drop, rheumatoid arthritis, peripheral neuropathy, and spine disorders. The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed to address the etiology of these conditions due to presumed exposure to Agent Orange during active service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to insufficient medical evidence. He will be provided with VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his respiratory disorder, hypertension, and peripheral neuropathy.

The Board has determined that the VA examination conducted in June 2016 was inadequate for rating purposes and requires a supplemental addendum opinion to determine if the Veteran's COPD is related to her service or exposure to Agent GB.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's COPD and asbestosis are related to service, including exposure to asbestos.

Service connection for diabetes, fibromyalgia, COPD, congestive heart failure, hypertension, sexual dysfunction (including erectile dysfunction), bladder cancer, and bilateral upper extremity neuropathy is denied.,The Veteran's service treatment records do not show any diagnosis or complaints related to these conditions. The Board found no evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation for any of the claimed disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a pulmonary disorder including COPD and his cause of death, finding that there is no evidence to support these claims.

The Veteran's sleep apnea and PTSD are granted service connection, with a 50% initial rating for PTSD. The other issues remain pending.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection, including for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a respiratory disorder (COPD and asthma), nerve damage of the feet, and hyperkeratoses of the feet. The claims are being returned due to incomplete VA treatment records and lack of audiometric test results.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic asthma, COPD, and hypertension. The decision found no evidence of a link between these conditions and service.

The Board has granted a request for a new hearing due to the appellant's inability to attend the originally scheduled videoconference hearing. The case is now remanded for scheduling a new hearing.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, effective as of April 26, 2012. The VA has remanded the issue of service connection for COPD due to herbicide agent exposure.