The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but finds that it is not related to service and denies the claim.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence showing a chronic pulmonary abnormality during service, and the veteran's statements associating his current condition with service are not competent medical evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 28, 2006
- Citation
- 0630439
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 0630439.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and entitlement to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) on the basis of 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error in that the prior medical opinions are inadequate.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory condition, including COPD, finding that there was no evidence linking his current COPD to his time in service.
- Denied
The Board denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, finding that there was no evidence to support the contention that the medications used to treat his service-connected disabilities caused his death.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected Major Depressive Disorder substantially contributed to his death from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and the Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
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