The Board denied service connection for COPD, small cell lung cancer, and leukoplakia of the true vocal cords as these conditions are not related to service or any in-service exposures.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that COPD, lung cancer, and leukoplakia are more likely than not secondary to the Veteran's long-standing smoking history, which is unrelated to service.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD, small cell lung cancer, leukoplakia of the true vocal cords
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19122479
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 19122479.
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.
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- Granted
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- Denied
The Board denied an effective date earlier than August 10, 2022, for the grant of a 60 percent rating for sarcoidosis, asthma, chronic bronchitis, and COPD.
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