The Veteran's mild osteoarthritis of the left knee is granted as service connected.,Service connection for COPD is denied. The Board found that the Veteran's COPD was not related to her military service.,The Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (ETD) is remanded to determine if it was aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner confirmed the diagnosis of left knee mild osteoarthritis and found that the Veteran's condition was incurred during active service.,The VA examiner opined that COPD was not related to military service due to a long history of smoking. The Board acknowledged the Veteran’s assertion but noted lack of specificity in her opinion regarding apartment heating system.,VA must show that any pre-existing disease or injury was clearly and unmistakably not aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- mild osteoarthritis, left knee, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (ETD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 6, 2018
- Citation
- 18132367
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 18132367.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asthma, COPD, pancreatitis, stroke, and left arm weakness (claimed as secondary to stroke) based on the presumption of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or due to in-service exposure.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking readjudication of the previously denied claim for PTSD and multiple other conditions is dismissed due to a procedural defect. The Veteran's authorized representative at the time the appeal was submitted did not have the authority to file the appeal.
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