COPD Board decisions

The Board finds that the Veteran's hypertension did not manifest during service and is not shown to be related to his military service. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, is denied as there is no competent evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate notice and incomplete development of records, including treatment records from Cancer Treatment Centers of America. The VA will need to obtain terminal treatment records and determine if the Veteran's lung cancer and COPD were related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for a supplemental medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's COPD.

The Board found that the Veteran's respiratory disorder, including COPD, did not manifest during service and is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident in service.

The Board has determined that additional records from Drs. Dartt and Nallinger, as well as Haggin Memorial Hospital, are needed to substantiate the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD. The case is being remanded for these purposes.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including as secondary to service-connected disability. The case is also remanded for a new medical opinion regarding whether his accelerated silicosis has aggravated his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD and a heart condition, finding that these conditions are not related to his military service or secondary to his service-connected asbestosis.,The Board also found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is not related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain medical records and to verify his stressors related to PTSD. The VA examinations are also rescheduled.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disability and TDIU are being remanded due to inadequate examination, interrelatedness of the issues, and need for additional VA treatment records.

The evidence does not support the claim that the Veteran's current respiratory disability, including COPD and emphysema, is related to his military service or asbestos exposure. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against the claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining ships logs and his complete military personnel file.

The Board found that the Veteran's current respiratory diagnoses, including COPD and emphysema, are not etiologically related to his active duty service, including asbestos exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD and a bilateral eye disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VCAA notice and an opinion regarding secondary service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for asbestosis, finding that the Veteran was exposed to asbestos during his military service and that his current asbestosis is related to this exposure. The issue of whether COPD is also related to service is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, including residuals of pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his current diagnoses and their relation to service.

The Board found no evidence of a present disability related to the Veteran's claimed respiratory disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and concluded that these conditions were not incurred in service.

The Veteran's death was caused by acute pulmonary edema, chronic ischemic heart disease, high blood pressure, and COPD. The appeal is remanded to obtain a medical opinion on the cause of death and to address the issue of burial benefits.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, including as due to exposure to Agent Orange, was denied. The VA examiner concluded that COPD is not related to the Veteran's military service or exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of medical expenses incurred at a private hospital is being remanded due to the need for clarification regarding whether a VA facility was feasibly available and if delay in seeking care would have been hazardous.

The Veteran's service did not involve duty or visitation to Vietnam, and there is no evidence of herbicide exposure. The Board finds that diabetes mellitus, COPD, hypertension, and lumbar radiculopathy and carpal tunnel syndrome were not incurred in or aggravated by service.