The Board has granted service connection for COPD due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam and also granted service connection for atrial fibrillation disability, secondary to now service-connected COPD on a causation basis. The decision is based on the presumption of herbicide agent exposure during service.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports a causal relationship between the Veteran's COPD and his atrial fibrillation due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD, atriial fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19180967
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.
- 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.
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