The appeal to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for asthma is granted. The Veteran's childhood asthma was noted on an August 1972 pre-induction Report of Medical History, and subsequent service treatment records noted treatment for symptoms of asthma. Post-service treatment records also note findings of asthma. Evidence submitted since the March 2002 rating decision includes the Veteran’s testimony that his childhood asthma was aggravated by exposure to jet fuel, asbestos, dirt, dust, and damp weather during more than 12 years of service in the Air Force.
The deciding factor: The evidence received since the March 2002 rating decision relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim of entitlement to service connection for asthma (the Veteran's childhood asthma was aggravated by exposure to jet fuel, asbestos, dirt, dust, and damp weather during more than 12 years of service in the Air Force).
- Claimed conditions
- asthma
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19120130
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (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 19120130.
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 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases of sleep apnea and asthma due to a failure to provide proper notice for a hearing.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to August 14, 2023.
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