The Veteran's COPD is not related to his service or service-connected disabilities, and the Board denies his claim.
The deciding factor: Service connection cannot be established as there is no medical nexus between the Veteran's COPD and his active duty service or any of his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19191439
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 19191439.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea. Service connection was denied for gastroesophageal reflux disease, diabetes mellitus, left subclavian artery thrombus status post thrombectomy, and lumbar spine disability. The claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder and sinusitis were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and chronic bronchitis pursuant to the PACT Act, denied service connection for chronic sinusitis, and remanded several other claims including those related to gastrointestinal issues, pancreatitis, and hip strains.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a pancreatic condition, COPD, a gallbladder condition, and a liver condition as the evidence did not support their diagnosis or that they were related to the Veteran's military service. The claim for an increased rating for hypothyroidism was also denied.
- Granted
The Board granted an extraschedular total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to April 26, 2011, due to the Veteran's service-connected respiratory disabilities.
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