The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of rheumatic fever and a lung condition noted as COPD and chronic bronchitis based on tobacco use and nicotine dependence during active service, finding no evidence of current disability or residual effects from rheumatic fever. The claim for COPD was remanded to obtain an opinion regarding the cause of the veteran's condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner could not provide a medical nexus between the veteran's current lung condition and her tobacco use during service due to lack of evidence in the record.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of rheumatic fever, lung condition (noted as COPD and chronic bronchitis)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 14, 2006
- Citation
- 0629148
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,464 · Granted: 14% (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 0629148.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's rheumatic heart disease with coronary artery disease, status post stent placement is rated at 60 percent effective April 20, 2023.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused him to be in need of regular aid and assistance, resulting in a grant of special month compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate examination. The other claims remain denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there has not been substantial compliance with the prior remand directives and therefore, another remand is required for further development of the Veteran's service connection claims.
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