The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for asthmatic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is well-grounded, as there is medical evidence linking his current lung conditions to exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke during active duty. The RO must now provide a VA examination to determine if this link is at least as likely as not caused by the veteran's service.
The deciding factor: The examiner will assess whether it is at least as likely as not that the veteran's bronchial asthma and COPD were caused or aggravated by exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke during active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- asthmatic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2000
- Citation
- 0026876
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0026876.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for TDIU prior to October 18, 2018 due to a lack of evidence showing that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Granted
Clauses an effective date of August 5, 2021 for the award of service connection for asthmatic bronchitis.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher initial disability rating for asthma was denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other spontaneous pneumothorax status post thoracotomy is rated as 100% disabling since February 28, 2024. His major depressive disorder is separately rated at 70%. The Board finds that the Veteran meets the criteria for special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions are dismissed due to untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement (NOD). The appeal is also dismissed as there was no good cause shown for the late filing.
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