The Board denied service connection for heart and lung disorders claimed as due to tobacco use, finding that the disabilities were not incurred in or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: Service connection is not permitted because the veteran's heart and lung disorders began many years after service and were not caused by any incident of service.
- Claimed conditions
- heart and lung disorders
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 10, 2001
- Citation
- 0118034
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0118034.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was listed as adenocarcinoma of the colon. The VA medical opinion found that his service-connected disabilities did not cause or substantially contribute to his death, and that his colon cancer was not related to military service or herbicide exposure.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for heart and lung disorders due to tobacco use, finding that such claims are barred by law as they were received after June 9, 1998. The Board also noted that there was no evidence linking the disabilities to service on any basis other than tobacco use.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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