The Board denied service connection for a respiratory disability, hypertension, and headaches as they were not shown to be related to the veteran's active duty. Service connection was granted for impairment of the bilateral lower extremities as it was found to be secondary to his service-connected lumbosacral strain.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was no evidence linking the respiratory disability, hypertension, and headaches to the veteran's active duty service or any other incident in service. However, the impairment of the bilateral lower extremities was directly linked to the service-connected lumbosacral strain with spondylosis and narrowing of disc space.
- Claimed conditions
- bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2008
- Citation
- 0815756
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 granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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