The Veteran's COPD and psychiatric disorder were denied as they did not onset in service or were not caused by his service.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep disorder, neurological disorder, and arthritis was also denied due to lack of evidence showing these conditions are related to service.,An increased rating for macular mottling from July 30, 2014 to December 1, 2017 was granted at a 50% level but the Veteran's claim for a higher rating is still pending.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that COPD or psychiatric disorders were related to service. The Veteran also provided no lay testimony regarding these conditions.,There was no evidence of an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep disorder, neurological disorder, or arthritis in service and the Veteran provided no lay testimony supporting a link between his current conditions and service.,The Veteran's claim for increased rating for macular mottling is still pending as there were no incapacitating episodes during the 12-month period prior to July 30, 2014.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep disorder, neurological disorder, arthritis, to include the left and right knees
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- January 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19106734
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 19106734.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD was granted with an initial evaluation of 50 percent, effective September 24, 2007. The appeal regarding the heart condition and sleep disorder is denied. The Veteran's hearing loss prior to August 24, 2015, warrants a 20 percent rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, is denied as service connection is not warranted due to the condition being solely attributed to smoking.
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