The Board denied service connection for a chronic lung disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not related to his in-service upper respiratory infections and other medical evidence does not support a link between these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence linking the Veteran’s in-service respiratory infections with his current pulmonary diagnosis.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lung disability, centrilobular/paraseptal emphysema with mild scarring, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19172123
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 19172123.
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 has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, including as due to exposure to herbicides and burn pits, should be remanded. The AOJ must obtain a VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's pulmonary fibrosis.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was denied, while the Veteran's claim for service connection for diarrhea as secondary to his service-connected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was granted.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, finding that the Veteran's exposure to toxic occupational exposures during his military service is at least as likely as not a primary cause of his condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for pulmonary hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
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