The Board found that the veteran's current respiratory impairment is not due to his service-connected spontaneous pneumothorax, and thus denied a compensable evaluation for this condition.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the veteran's service-connected spontaneous pneumothorax and his current respiratory impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- spontaneous pneumothorax
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2008
- Citation
- 0843714
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 0843714.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for sarcoidosis, unilateral complete paralysis of vocal cords, and spontaneous pneumothorax are being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. A VA examination is needed to determine the likely etiology of the Veteran's sarcoidosis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for spontaneous pneumothorax, finding no evidence of a causal relationship between the condition and military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA opinion is inadequate and requires further examination to determine if the Veteran's chronic sinusitis contributed to his cause of death, which includes pneumonia and sepsis.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea and spontaneous pneumothorax, as well as an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, was denied. The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea required the use of a CPAP machine but did not meet the criteria for higher ratings due to his FEV-1/FVC levels. His bilateral hearing loss was rated at Level I and therefore noncompensably disabling.
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