The Board has denied service connection for COPD, but has remanded the issues of service connection for ischemic heart disease, diabetes, carotid arterial disease, left hand disability, right hand disability, and neuropathy of the lower extremities as due to herbicide exposure. The issue of compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for left true vocal cord paralysis with dysphonia and globus sensation has been remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board found that COPD did not begin during service or be related to service in any other way, but the issues of ischemic heart disease, diabetes, carotid arterial disease, left hand disability, right hand disability, and neuropathy of the lower extremities as due to herbicide exposure have been remanded for further development.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD, Ischemic heart disease, Diabetes, Carotid arterial disease, Left hand disability (peripheral neuropathy and tremor), Right hand disability (peripheral neuropathy and carpal tunnel syndrome), Neuropathy of the lower extremities, Left true vocal cord paralysis with dysphonia and globus sensation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19176662
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,549 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19176662.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating of 30 percent prior to July 18, 2014, and a higher than 60 percent rating thereafter for ischemic heart disease is being remanded due to incomplete evidence. The examiner needs to provide more detailed information about the severity of his service-connected condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current respiratory disability and active duty service. The VA examiner concluded that the COPD was more likely due to tobacco use rather than asbestos exposure in service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to his exposure to Agent Orange during service. COPD is considered a disease associated with such exposure.
- Granted
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for COPD. The Veteran's COPD is presumed due to exposure to herbicides, but the evidence does not support a finding that it began during active service or is related to in-service exposure.
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