The Board finds that the Veteran was exposed to asbestos during active duty service and has a current diagnosis of pleural plaques, which is associated with asbestos exposure. The Board grants service connection for pleural plaques as a result of asbestos exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's testimony regarding his in-service duties places him in shipyards where he was exposed to asbestos smoke without protective gear. His current diagnosis of pleural plaques is consistent with asbestos exposure and the latency period associated with such conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory Disorder (other than asthma), Pleural Plaques
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2013
- Citation
- 1306590
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 1306590.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and remanded the issues of entitlement to a higher rating for acquired respiratory conditions, including COPD, emphysema with pleural plaques, bronchiolitis, and asbestosis, and entitlement to a separate compensable rating for pleural plaques. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and remanded the issue of service connection for a Respiratory Disorder (other than Asthma).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a pulmonary/respiratory disability, including as due to asbestos exposure, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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