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 military 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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,890 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 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.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 100% evaluation for COPD, asthma, and pulmonary fibrosis as of July 27, 2023, due to improper reduction from September 1, 2025.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for insomnia, memory loss, and hearing loss are dismissed. Service connection for pulmonary fibrosis is granted under the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board found that the grant of service connection for pulmonary fibrosis was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous, but also noted conflicting medical opinions regarding its cause. Service connection is restored.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an initial evaluation of 100 percent for COPD and associated conditions, including chronic pulmonary hypertension, from the date she filed her claim in April 2018.
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