The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral pleural plaques are related to his military service, specifically asbestos exposure during his time as a mess management specialist and fireman. As such, the claim for service connection is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran regarding the cause of his pleural plaques, concluding that they were likely due to asbestos exposure either during or after military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral pleural plaques
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18112706
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 18112706.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a lung condition, to include COPD, asbestosis, and bilateral pleural plaques due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service and his current lung condition.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a higher disability rating was dismissed because the January 2024 rating decision implemented a previous Board decision and is not appealable. The Veteran will receive a separate decision regarding their September 2024 VA Form 10182.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination to assess the Veteran's service-connected bilateral pleural plaques disability and obtaining any outstanding records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral pleural plaques is remanded due to uncertainty regarding the impairment caused by his service-connected disability versus his nonservice-connected conditions and possible impact of his aortic valve replacement and cardiac rehabilitation on PFT findings.
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