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Denied

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected gunshot wound to the left chest with resolved hemopneumothorax, finding that the current 20 percent rating adequately compensates him for his disability.

The deciding factor: The VA specialist found only 10% of the veteran's lung impairment was attributable to the service-connected gunshot wound and resolved hemopneumothorax, while the preponderance of his overall lung impairment is due to non-service connected COPD from smoking.

Claimed conditions
gunshot wound to the left chest, resolved hemopneumothorax
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
20%
Decision date
June 21, 2002
Citation
0206711

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 0206711.

What this means for you

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