The Board found that the veteran's COPD with emphysema is not service-connected due to its being attributable to tobacco use, and denied both issues on appeal.
The deciding factor: COPD with emphysema was determined to be a result of the veteran's use of tobacco products during service.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD with emphysema
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2004
- Citation
- 0407022
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,467 · Granted: 18% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0407022.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal as both issues were improperly elected concurrently and no waiver of this prohibition was made.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for COPD with emphysema prior to January 29, 2024, and his request for an earlier effective date for service connection were both denied. The Board found that the earliest applicable date of claim was September 22, 2022, but entitlement did not arise until April 21, 2024.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for COPD with emphysema, finding that the Veteran's condition is not related to his military service or exposure to herbicides in Vietnam. The claim was based on presumed exposure to toxic chemicals and asbestos during his time as an aviation structural mechanic.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for COPD with emphysema, finding that the Veteran's condition is not related to his military service or exposure to herbicides in Vietnam. The claim was based on presumed exposure to toxic chemicals and asbestos during his time as an aviation structural mechanic.
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