The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected cold injuries likely contributed to his death from COPD and end stage renal disease, resolving doubt in favor of the appellant.
The deciding factor: The VA rheumatologist found it at least as likely as not that the veteran's systemic sclerosis and/or Raynaud's disease was etiologically related to the service-connected cold injuries of his hands and feet, which contributed substantially to his death from COPD and end stage renal disease.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), end stage renal disease, scleroderma, Raynaud's disease
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 1, 2008
- Citation
- 0841222
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 0841222.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asthma, COPD, pancreatitis, stroke, and left arm weakness (claimed as secondary to stroke) based on the presumption of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or due to in-service exposure.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking readjudication of the previously denied claim for PTSD and multiple other conditions is dismissed due to a procedural defect. The Veteran's authorized representative at the time the appeal was submitted did not have the authority to file the appeal.
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