The Veteran's claim of service connection for chronic cough, bronchitis, pneumonia, and dry cough is dismissed as the claim has been granted. The issue of service connection for an irregular heartbeat is denied due to lack of a current diagnosis. The issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and evaluation in excess of 20 percent for thoracolumbar strain are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim of service connection for chronic cough, bronchitis, pneumonia, and dry cough has been granted, making the appeal moot.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic cough, bronchitis, pneumonia, dry cough, acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), thoracolumbar strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18143208
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 18143208.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for PTSD and a chronic cough are being remanded due to an error in providing notice of the right to a hearing before the RO.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic cough disability was granted with an effective date of January 1, 2002. This decision is based on the addition of relevant service department records that were not considered in prior decisions.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew her appeal regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss and chronic cough, thus the appeal is dismissed.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for pneumonia, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and asthma as causes of death. The evidence did not support finding that these conditions were related to his service-connected disabilities.
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