The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lung disability, originally claimed as bronchial asthma and bronchitis. The preponderance of evidence established that the Veteran had a current diagnosis of COPD but not asthma. The VA examiners concluded that his COPD was more likely due to long-term smoking rather than military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found no relationship between the Veteran's present diagnosis of COPD and his military service, concluding that it was more likely caused by his long-term smoking habit.
- Claimed conditions
- Lung Disability, Asthma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 9, 2016
- Citation
- 1623170
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 1623170.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's asthma is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, and the Board finds that this rating adequately compensates his service-connected condition.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's asthma is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,The Veteran's sleep apnea claim has been remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, asthma, and foot conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history throughout the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand several cases related to the Veteran's PTSD, asthma, and other conditions. The issues include increased disability ratings for PTSD and asthma, as well as effective date determinations.
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