The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic bronchitis and a kidney condition, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,For chronic bronchitis, the Board determined that the Veteran did not have asbestos exposure during service and found that his current condition is not related to this exposure. For chronic kidney disease, the Board concluded that it was not present during service or within a year of separation.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was based on the absence of evidence linking the Veteran’s bronchitis to asbestos exposure and his lack of documented symptoms in service.,There is no indication of kidney disease during service, and the post-service records do not show a link between the current condition and military service.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic bronchitis, kidney condition (to include chronic kidney disease)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19160216
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 19160216.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for asthma, bronchitis, and COPD due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for asthma but denied all other claims, including service connection for various conditions and a compensable rating for scars between the scapulae.
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