Service connection for COPD is dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.,Service connection for right ear hearing loss is denied due to lack of current disability.,Service connection for an unspecified mood disorder with a substance abuse disorder (claimed as an acquired mental disorder) is remanded.
The deciding factor: The criteria for withdrawal of the COPD claim were met, and the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to issuance of the Board decision.,The September 2014 VA examination did not meet the criteria for a ratable right ear hearing loss disability as defined in section 3.385 of the VA regulation.,There is insufficient rationale provided by the examiner regarding the etiology of any current psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Right ear hearing loss, Unspecified mood disorder with a substance abuse disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19120219
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,977 · Granted: 27% (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 19120219.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his myocardial infarction and COPD to his military service.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for bladder cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability is dismissed. The appeal for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities is denied.
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