The Board has determined that the Veteran's skin disability of the back and pulmonary disorder were not incurred in or related to his active service, including as due to herbicide exposure. The VA medical opinions provided significant probative value for these determinations.
The deciding factor: The most common cause of the Veteran's pulmonary disorders was smoking, which is more likely than any other factor (including presumed herbicide exposure) to have caused or contributed to his current respiratory conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Skin disability of the back, Pulmonary disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 7, 2017
- Citation
- 1726053
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 1726053.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for a heart disorder, Parkinson's disease, pulmonary disorder, skin rash, and posttraumatic stress disorder are dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a pulmonary disorder, finding that there is no causal or etiological relationship between his current condition and any disease, injury, or incident during service. The Board considered all relevant evidence, including VA and private treatment records, as well as the Veteran's reported in-service exposure to various irritants, but concluded that smoking was the significant risk factor for developing COPD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's pulmonary disorder and its relation to service, particularly asbestos exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding service connection for a neurological disorder, specifically restless leg syndrome (RLS). The pulmonary disorder claim is denied.
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