The Board found that the veteran's lung condition is not service-connected due to a prohibition on service connection for death or disability resulting from tobacco use during service. The skin disorder claim was denied as new and material evidence did not establish a causal link between the condition and military service.
The deciding factor: No medical opinion established a direct relationship between the acquired skin disorder and herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- emphysema, acquired skin disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 26, 2001
- Citation
- 0123394
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 0123394.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for emphysema and pulmonary hypertension, finding that the Veteran's emphysema was caused by active service, including participation in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA), and that his pulmonary hypertension is secondary to his emphysema.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for Parkinson's disease, emphysema, muscle cramps, bilateral shoulder disability, and neck disability. However, it granted service connection for peripheral vascular disease and asthma.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for COPD, emphysema, a chest wall condition, PTSD, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, chronic, a low back condition, TBI, and a chest tumor.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus and emphysema, finding that the evidence is in approximate balance.
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