COPD Board decisions

Your service connection claims for COPD and a left knee disability have been dismissed because your requests were premature due to pending Higher Level Review (HLR) requests.

The Veteran's asthma has been granted a disability rating of 60 percent, but no greater. The other issues have not met the criteria for increased ratings.

Service connection for COPD and emphysema is dismissed.,Service connection for asbestosis is dismissed.,Service connection for chronic cervicothoracic pain is dismissed.,Compensable disability ratings for scars, welding burns, left forearm and right forearm are denied.

The Veteran's claims for hypertension, hypothyroidism, allergic rhinitis, COPD with asthma and pulmonary hypertension, tinnitus, and obesity have been granted effective dates based on the PACT Act. Effective dates are set according to the date of diagnosis or receipt of claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate reasoning and evidence regarding the Veteran's lung conditions, specifically his exposure to asbestos during service.

The Board has remanded several claims for increased ratings and service connection due to duty-to-assist errors, including obtaining private treatment records and VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's respiratory condition, specifically asthma, COPD, and allergic rhinitis. The VA examiner failed to consider all potential exposure risk activities, including those related to herbicide agents and burning of human waste, food, diesel fuel, and other materials.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a lung disorder, including lung cancer, spots on lungs, and COPD, was dismissed as the issue remained pending under VA's Legacy appeals system. The case will be reconsidered in the Legacy system.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's COPD is related to her active service exposure to secondhand smoke, and thus service connection for COPD is granted.

The Veteran's lung cancer is granted service connection based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents during active duty.,Service connection for prostate cancer is dismissed due to the Veteran not filing a VA Form 10182 within one year of receiving notification of the decision.

The Veteran's COPD is granted under the PACT Act, but a remand is required to consider service connection on other bases and obtain full military personnel records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD was granted with an effective date of December 6, 2021. The claims for diabetes and hypertension were remanded due to duty to assist errors.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for COPD and a TDIU are being remanded due to procedural errors in the decision-making process. The AOJ must obtain a PFT for the period on appeal and clarify the Veteran's employment history.

The Board has granted service connection for a respiratory disorder, including COPD and restrictive lung disease, associated with TERA participation.

The Veteran's COPD is granted as service-connected due to in-service exposure to particulate matter pollution, and the Board finds that this exposure caused his current condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the Veteran's COPD and its relation to service, specifically Operation Hardtack. The VA needs to provide a new examination and opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his service-connected COPD substantially or materially contributed to his death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disability other than allergic rhinitis, including sinusitis, COPD, and emphysema. The issues of service connection for a skin disability and TDIU prior to September 15, 2017 are also pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the Veteran's respiratory disorder and its relationship to service, particularly exposure to air conditioning and tropical climates in service.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD alone rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation from December 22, 2022. The Board granted entitlement to a TDIU due to this condition.