The Veteran's claim for COPD was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability and the Board finds that any such condition is not related to service.,Osteoarthritis claims were also denied, with the Board finding that arthritis did not manifest during service or within one year post-service and is not linked to service.,The Veteran's claim for hepatitis-C infection was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability and it is not related to service.,Scoliosis was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability and the Board finds that any such condition is not related to service.,Chronic dry skin with pruritis claims were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability and the Board finds that any such condition is not related to service or an undiagnosed illness.,The Veteran's claim for joint/muscle pain, memory loss, anxiety, depression, night sweats, mood swings, emotional problems, sleep disturbance, nightmares and neurological symptoms was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability and the Board finds that any such condition is not related to service or an undiagnosed illness.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims for COPD, osteoarthritis, hepatitis-C infection, scoliosis, chronic dry skin with pruritis, and joint/muscle pain, memory loss, anxiety, depression, night sweats, mood swings, emotional problems, sleep disturbance, nightmares and neurological symptoms were all denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or any link to service. The Veteran's claims for undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained multisymptom illnesses are not applicable in these cases.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD, Osteoarthritis, Hepatitis-C infection, Scoliosis, Chronic dry skin with pruritis, Joint/muscle pain, memory loss, anxiety, depression, night sweats, mood swings, emotional problems, sleep disturbance, nightmares and neurological symptoms
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 6, 2013
- Citation
- 1318410
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 1318410.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current respiratory disability and active duty service. The VA examiner concluded that the COPD was more likely due to tobacco use rather than asbestos exposure in service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to his exposure to Agent Orange during service. COPD is considered a disease associated with such exposure.
- Granted
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for COPD. The Veteran's COPD is presumed due to exposure to herbicides, but the evidence does not support a finding that it began during active service or is related to in-service exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lung condition, including pneumonia residuals, COPD, and emphysema, is remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his military service. The appeal is reopened based on new evidence.
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