The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected left spontaneous pneumothorax does not warrant a disability evaluation in excess of 10 percent, as there is no evidence of increased damage or recurrence of the condition. The preponderance of the evidence supports this conclusion.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions are unanimous in concluding that there was no increase in damage or recurrence of the left spontaneous pneumothorax and that the documented diminution in pulmonary function was unrelated to the service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- left spontaneous pneumothorax
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 14, 2005
- Citation
- 0507257
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 0507257.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and left spontaneous pneumothorax due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran needs a VA examination for both conditions.
- Denied
The Board has denied a compensable rating for left spontaneous pneumothorax as the Veteran's condition is not shown to warrant such a rating based on his medical records and examination findings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining updated opinions from private physicians and scheduling a VA examination to assess the Veteran's respiratory disorders and left spontaneous pneumothorax.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's left spontaneous pneumothorax is being remanded due to the submission of new evidence that suggests a relationship between his current COPD and lung cancer diagnoses and his military service. The Board must now evaluate whether he should be granted service connection for these conditions.
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