The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, including COPD, chronic bronchitis, and dyspnea is granted. The claims for deviated nasal septum, rhinitis or sinusitis disability, and edema disability are remanded.
The deciding factor: The May 2019 private medical opinion supports the Veteran's contention that his exposure to hazardous materials during service caused his current respiratory disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD, chronic bronchitis, dyspnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19177712
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for COPD, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's respiratory condition and his military service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions and a TDIU, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's COPD precluded him from obtaining and maintaining substantial gainful employment, warranting a Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).
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