The Veteran's cause of death was listed as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis, pleural effusion, and carcinoma in situ of other unspecified sites. The Board found no connection between these disabilities and the Veteran's service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent evidence linking a fatal disease process to the Veteran's service.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis, pleural effusion, carcinoma in situ of other unspecified sites
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19127464
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for chronic bronchitis, asthma, sinusitis, and rhinitis were granted. The claims for service connection for right hand disability, right shoulder disability, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, erectile dysfunction, bilateral shoulder disability, and left wrist disability were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but denied service connection for irritable bowel syndrome. The Board also denied an increased rating for the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for asthma, bronchitis, and COPD due to inadequate medical opinions.
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