The Veteran's claimed respiratory disorder, collapsed lung, and neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The Board finds no evidence to support a direct service connection claim for these conditions.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence linking any of the claimed disabilities to service, including presumed exposure to asbestos.
- Claimed conditions
- respiratory disorder (including COPD, emphysema, and lung cancer), collapsed lung, neuropathy of the left upper extremity, neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2015
- Citation
- 1514453
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 1514453.
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: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral lower and upper extremity neuropathies, finding that they are related to his in-service herbicide exposure (Agent Orange).
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that VA examinations are required to determine if the Veteran's disabilities, including diabetes and neuropathy of various extremities, are at least as likely as not related to hazardous exposures during service. The issues of service connection for glaucoma secondary to diabetes are also remanded due to their inextricability with other claims.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities is granted as service connected due to his in-service benzene exposure.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for neuropathy of all four extremities due to a need for additional development, including verification of claimed nerve agent exposure and obtaining an updated medical opinion.
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