The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including bilateral parenchymal fibrosis and pleural plaque, depression, erectile dysfunction, skeletal arthritis, nerve damage of the upper and lower extremities, are denied. The Board finds that while there is evidence of asbestos exposure during service, the lung disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service due to post-service industrial exposure.
The deciding factor: The medical nexus linking the Veteran's lung disability to his post-service industrial exposure rather than his military service does not support service connection for these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral parenchymal fibrosis, bilateral pleural plaque, depression, erectile dysfunction, skeletal arthritis, nerve damage, left lower extremity, nerve damage, right lower extremity, nerve damage, left upper extremity, nerve damage, right upper extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19159926
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 19159926.
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 claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding its etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and denied increased ratings for right shoulder impingement syndrome, hearing loss, painful scar, patellofemoral pain syndromes of the knees, and other conditions.
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