The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for respiratory disability, as there was no direct link to military service and the condition first manifested many years after service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current respiratory disability was determined not to be related to his service due to lack of chronicity in service and absence of continuity of symptoms post-service.
- Claimed conditions
- hypersensitivity pneumonitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (respiratory disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0910642
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 a total 100 percent disability rating for the service-connected respiratory disability and special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for hypersensitivity pneumonitis and denied increased ratings for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertensive vascular disease, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy associated with diabetes mellitus, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy associated with diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease. However, the Board granted an increased rating of 40 percent for both left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy associated with diabetes mellitus and granted total disability based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities effective March 15, 2021.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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