The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic respiratory illness during service and attributing the current condition to his long history of smoking. The Board also found no nexus between Gulf War exposure and the Veteran's COPD.
The deciding factor: The VA clinician ruled out any relationship between the Veteran’s COPD and service, including due to any Persian Gulf environmental exposures, attributing it instead to his longstanding history of cigarette smoking.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19180608
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.
- 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).
- Denied
The Board denied an effective date earlier than August 10, 2022, for the grant of a 60 percent rating for sarcoidosis, asthma, chronic bronchitis, and COPD.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.