The veteran's initial claim for higher ratings for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and residuals of coccidioidomycosis was denied. The RO granted service connection in January 2003, but did not grant a rating higher than 10 percent before February 18, 2005, or a rating higher than 30 percent from that date.
The deciding factor: The veteran's disability ratings were found to be appropriate based on the criteria for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and residuals of coccidioidomycosis as per Diagnostic Codes 6604 and 6835, respectively.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Residuals of coccidioidomycosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 3, 2006
- Citation
- 0634166
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 734 · Granted: 9% (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 0634166.
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 Veteran's death was caused by acute hypoxic respiratory failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with hypertension as a significant contributing factor. The Board finds that remand is necessary to obtain the Veteran's complete military records and treatment records.
- Dismissed
Your appeal for service connection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The Board cannot issue a decision on this claim as it is no longer pending.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as none of the listed causes were related to his period of active duty or presumed exposure to herbicides.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including thoracolumbar spine disability, bilateral knee and hip disabilities, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, COPD, and denied an initial rating higher than 50 percent for MDD with GAD.
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