The Veteran's service-connected left lung spontaneous pneumothorax does not render him unemployable, as his cardiac conditions and other nonservice-connected disabilities are the primary causes of his inability to work.
The deciding factor: VA medical opinions consistently found that the Veteran's symptoms were primarily due to his cardiovascular diseases (atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure) rather than his service-connected spontaneous pneumothorax.
- Claimed conditions
- left lung spontaneous pneumothorax
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- June 13, 2014
- Citation
- 1427017
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 1427017.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased rating and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claims.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of left lung spontaneous pneumothorax, claimed as collapsed lung. The claim is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination and obtaining updated treatment records. The Veteran's claim for increased evaluation of his service-connected left lung spontaneous pneumothorax and TDIU will be reconsidered.
- 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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