The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lung disability, claimed as interstitial lung disease, to include as secondary to asbestos exposure. The evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's current lung disability was related to his active duty service or any incident of service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran’s restrictive lung disease is not indicative of asbestos exposure and attributed it to obesity. There was no competent evidence linking the lung disability to service, including possible asbestos exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Interstitial lung disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19127210
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,645 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19127210.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of interstitial lung disease, and the appeal is dismissed.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by interstitial lung disease, which is presumed to be related to his service-connected exposure to Agent Orange. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
Your appeal for service connection of interstitial lung disease has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The case will not be reconsidered until a new claimant is found eligible.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of interstitial lung disease and lung nodules to obtain a clarifying medical opinion, as the previous VA examination was found to be inadequate.
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