The Veteran's asthma with a history of empyema, thoracotomy, and thoracostomies was rated at 30 percent since October 1, 2005. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on his respiratory symptoms.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's findings showed FEV-1 of 60% predicted value and FEV-1/FVC ratio of 95%, which matched the criteria for a 30 percent disability rating under DC 6602.
- Claimed conditions
- asthma, empyema
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- September 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19170698
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 19170698.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, is denied as service connection is not warranted due to the condition being solely attributed to smoking.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases of sleep apnea and asthma due to a failure to provide proper notice for a hearing.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to August 14, 2023.
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