The Veteran's lung disorder, which includes restrictive lung disease and post-injury conditions such as right mainstem bronchial disruption and pulmonary contusion, status post fractures of the right fifth and sixth ribs, status post thoracotomy, tracheostomy, was aggravated by his service in Iraq. The Board finds that there is no clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's lung disability was not aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The November 2017 VHA medical opinion provided a rationale based on medical research linking environmental toxin exposure to respiratory problems, and explained how the Veteran's pre-existing injury worsened during his Iraq deployment.
- Claimed conditions
- restrictive lung disease, right mainstem bronchial disruption and pulmonary contusion, fractures of the right fifth and sixth ribs, thoracotomy, tracheostomy
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2017
- Citation
- 1761240
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 1761240.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
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