The Veteran's chronic cough with shortness of breath related to episodic upper respiratory infections is granted service connection. His skin disability and joint pain are denied as not due to an in-service injury or disease.
The deciding factor: Service records show the Veteran had episodes of upper respiratory infections during his active duty, which may have contributed to his current chronic cough with shortness of breath. The VA examiners found no evidence linking his skin condition to service and concluded that his joint pain is not due to an undiagnosed illness or MUCMI.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic cough with shortness of breath, skin disability (seborrheic dermatitis), joint pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19105513
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain a more comprehensive medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's joint pain, particularly addressing his reported symptoms and exposure during Gulf War service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for asthma but denied all other claims, including service connection for various conditions and a compensable rating for scars between the scapulae.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a right leg condition, sinusitis, lower back condition, and joint pain as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hemorrhoids and denied service connection for a back disability, joint pain, migraines, and a skin condition. All other claims were remanded.
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