COPD Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions and incomplete evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's COPD is not etiologically related to active duty service, including as secondary to exposure to a herbicide agent (Agent Orange), and no presumption of service connection based on exposure or otherwise is applicable.

The Veteran's Hepatitis C is found to be service-connected. The COPD, low back disorder, and bilateral ankle disorders are not found to be service-connected.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities and a respiratory disability, claimed as COPD, are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records and provide VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's COPD did not have its onset in service and was not otherwise etiologically related to active duty, including gas mask training during boot camp or the single episode of acute respiratory disease in November 1961. The preponderance of evidence supports a finding that the Veteran's COPD is due to his history of smoking.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions and his presumed exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection due to new and material evidence. The Board also found that COPD is more likely than not related to service, including exposure to tear gas chambers during basic training.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for erectile dysfunction, pulmonary tuberculosis with COPD, and PTSD. However, it denied these claims as new evidence did not provide a link between the conditions and service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's COPD and its relationship to service, as well as his TDIU claim.

The Board found that the award of service connection for COPD in June 2008 was based on clear and unmistakable error (CUE) due to misinterpretation of a VA examiner's opinion. The December 2014 rating decision severed entitlement to service connection for COPD effective March 1, 2015. For the period from May 29, 2007 to March 1, 2015, an initial noncompensable rating is denied as there was no evidence of a compensable disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's COPD did not have its onset in service and is not otherwise the result of a disease or injury incurred in service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for COPD is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to inconsistencies in the VA examination report and incorrect service dates provided. A new VA examination is needed to determine if his respiratory conditions are related to active service, including exposure to asbestos.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and COPD, finding that the evidence does not support a link to his military service or any other condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, COPD, obstructive sleep apnea, and frostbite residuals require additional development due to outstanding VA and private treatment records. The Veteran is also required to undergo VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of stroke, atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as these conditions are not related to his active military service or presumed herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's currently diagnosed asbestosis and COPD are related to service exposure to asbestos, and the Board has granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic heart and lung conditions, including ischemic heart disease, were incurred in service. These conditions substantially contributed to his death.

The Veteran's melanoma status post surgeries was not present during service or for many years thereafter, and is not etiologically related to active duty service. The presumption of service connection as a chronic disease is not applicable.,There is no current diagnosis or other competent finding of COPD. The Veteran does not have COPD.,The Veteran's hearing loss is not caused by an event, disease or injury in active duty service and the presumption of service connection as a chronic disease is not applicable.,The Veteran's tinnitus is not caused by an event, disease or injury in active duty service and the presumption of service connection as a chronic disease is not applicable.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder (to include depression and memory loss) is not etiologically related to active duty service and the presumption of service connection as a chronic disease is not applicable.

The Veteran's lobectomy due to granuloma of the right lower lung with chronic bronchitis and COPD has been rated at 100 percent since November 6, 1996 for pulmonary hypertension.