The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory condition, including as secondary to obstructive sleep apnea and due to an undiagnosed illness is granted. The Board finds that the evidence of record is in relative equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's current respiratory condition is causally related to his in-service exposure to burning oil fields while serving in Southwest Asia, and that he is therefore entitled to service connection for a respiratory condition on a direct basis.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence was in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran’s current respiratory condition is at least as likely due to his in-service exposure to burning oil fields. Resolving all reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor, the Board finds that the Veteran’s respiratory condition warrants direct service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- respiratory condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19184510
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,934 · Granted: 41% (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 19184510.
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
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- Denied
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