COPD Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and verifying stressors. The Veteran's claims for service connection are being reviewed.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge sitting at the local RO.

The Board has determined that the case must be remanded to obtain additional information and evidence, including a VA medical opinion regarding the cause of death. The claim will be reconsidered after all necessary actions have been taken.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic lung disorder, including COPD and pulmonary fibrosis. The effective date for TDIU was not changed as requested.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, including COPD. However, the Veteran's current COPD is not related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and providing an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD caused his use of tobacco products which in turn led to COPD.

The Veteran's pulmonary disability, including residuals of a left pneumothorax with exploratory thoracotomy and pleurodesis, bronchiectasis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is rated at the 60 percent level.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lung disability, including alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, emphysema, and COPD. The examiner is requested to clarify whether these conditions are defects or diseases, and provide an opinion as to their relationship with service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verification of herbicide exposure in Korea and a supplemental VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's respiratory disorders.

The reduction of the assigned disability rating for lung cancer from 100 percent to 0 percent, effective December 1, 2010, was proper. The Veteran's lung cancer had been in remission and there were no active symptoms or complications related to his service-connected condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including presbyopia and COPD, were not shown to be related to service or due to an undiagnosed illness. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is granted as service-connected due to exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam-era service. The Board finds that the Veteran has current diagnoses for PTSD, hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, sleep apnea, and COPD, which may be related to his period of active duty service.

The Veteran's COPD was not incurred in active service and the claim for a respiratory disorder other than COPD is addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision.

The Board found that the Veteran's COPD is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to his active duty service, and determined that it was more likely caused by a 100+ pack-a-year smoking history.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a respiratory disorders examination to determine if his current respiratory conditions are related to service. The PTSD rating will also be reconsidered.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lung disability. The issue of entitlement to TDIU is being remanded due to its inextricability with the rating of COPD.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to August 12, 1991, for the assignment of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information and need for additional medical opinions regarding service connection for cause of death.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, as well as scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's COPD is not related to service, including asbestos exposure in service or to service-connected pleural plaques.