The Veteran's chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is granted as service connected due to in-service exposure, with no presumption or new evidence involved.
The deciding factor: The VA opinions supported the claim based on in-service exposure and smoking history, while the March 2014 opinion was found less probative for not considering the Veteran’s limited smoking history and timing of exposure development.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 28, 2018
- Citation
- 18153566
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 18153566.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for TDIU prior to October 18, 2018 due to a lack of evidence showing that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Granted
The Veteran's emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other spontaneous pneumothorax status post thoracotomy is rated as 100% disabling since February 28, 2024. His major depressive disorder is separately rated at 70%. The Board finds that the Veteran meets the criteria for special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions are dismissed due to untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement (NOD). The appeal is also dismissed as there was no good cause shown for the late filing.
- Dismissed
The appeal concerning the service connection for various conditions has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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