The Veteran's cause of death was not caused by his service-connected conditions, including arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.,Pulmonary fibrosis is not shown to be related to service or in-service asbestos exposure.
The deciding factor: There is no direct evidence linking the Veteran’s pulmonary fibrosis to his active service and the medical records do not support a causal nexus between his in-service asbestos exposure and his condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary Fibrosis, Pneumonia with Respiratory Failure, Sepsis with System Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), Intestinal Lung Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19104115
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 an initial compensable evaluation of service-connected COPD to ensure a proper medical examination is conducted.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary fibrosis as these conditions were not related to the Veteran's service, including his exposure to Agent Orange.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected obstructive sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pulmonary fibrosis were rated at 50 percent effective September 3, 2020. The Veteran was also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and eligibility for Dependents' Education Assistance (DEA) benefits from the same date.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 100 percent disability rating for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) but denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection.
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