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 assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19127210
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and re-adjudication due to an incomplete records search regarding potential service in Vietnam and inadequate explanation of why certain diagnoses were combined.
- Granted
The Board granted a rating of 60 percent for interstitial lung disease, both prior to and from November 10, 2022.
- Denied
The appeal was denied for various claims, including entitlement to a higher rating and earlier effective dates for service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for interstitial lung disease due to a lack of evidence showing he has a current disability.
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