The Board has determined that the Veteran's lung disability, manifested by interstitial fibrosis, atelectasis and pleural plaques, is not attributable to his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no current respiratory disability related to service, noting normal x-ray findings in 1975 and 1983, which were more than 35 years before the first noted abnormalities in 2001.
- Claimed conditions
- Interstitial fibrosis, Atelectasis, Pleural plaques
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2015
- Citation
- 1502946
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1502946.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a VA examination to address all respiratory disabilities found or shown during the appeal period and to determine their relationship to service, including exposure to toxic or environmental hazards.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and dismissed the appeal regarding an earlier effective date for a TDIU as moot.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied a higher initial disability rating for the service-connected respiratory disability, finding that the Veteran's FVC was only 65% of predicted value, which does not meet the criteria for any compensable rating under the applicable VA Rating Schedule.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's interstitial fibrosis is etiologically related to his active-duty service, specifically due to his conceded exposure to Agent Orange. As such, the claim for service connection is granted.
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