The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected lung disability, which is currently rated at 10 percent.
The deciding factor: The veteran's pulmonary function tests showed FEV-1 and FEV1/FVC scores within parameters for a 10% evaluation, thus not meeting criteria for higher ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- recurrent pneumothorax, status post left pleurectomy and left apical wedge resection
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 2, 2004
- Citation
- 0414082
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0414082.
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 has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lung disorder, finding that his symptoms began during active service and resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.
- Denied
The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the veteran's current conditions and his military service, including herbicide exposure. Service connection was denied for antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, recurrent pneumothorax, hypertension, and heart disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA pulmonary examination to assess the veteran's residuals of recurrent pneumothorax and thoracotomy. The veteran is entitled to an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for these conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a respiratory disorder, to include recurrent pneumothorax with associated sarcoidosis, finding that the veteran's symptoms began in or were aggravated by service.
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