The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected left spontaneous pneumothorax does not result in any compensable disability rating, as his symptoms are related to a nonservice-connected condition (COPD) and not due to his service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current symptoms of shortness of breath, impaired pulmonary function, and accelerated heart rate are associated with his non-service-connected COPD, which is linked to his long history of smoking cigarettes.
- Claimed conditions
- left spontaneous pneumothorax
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2017
- Citation
- 1701106
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 1701106.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and left spontaneous pneumothorax due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran needs a VA examination for both conditions.
- Denied
The Board has denied a compensable rating for left spontaneous pneumothorax as the Veteran's condition is not shown to warrant such a rating based on his medical records and examination findings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining updated opinions from private physicians and scheduling a VA examination to assess the Veteran's respiratory disorders and left spontaneous pneumothorax.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's left spontaneous pneumothorax is being remanded due to the submission of new evidence that suggests a relationship between his current COPD and lung cancer diagnoses and his military service. The Board must now evaluate whether he should be granted service connection for these conditions.
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