The Board denied service connection for pneumothorax as there is no current disability related to prior episodes of the condition, and any residual symptoms are attributed to nonservice-connected conditions like COPD.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no functional impairment due to past pneumothoraces and concluded that the Veteran's respiratory complaints were more likely due to his underlying COPD.
- Claimed conditions
- pneumothorax
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20001768
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for asthma, sarcoidosis, and pneumothorax to correct pre-decision duty-to-assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a respiratory/lung disability to obtain additional evidence, including inpatient records from a German hospital and an adequate VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the claim for service connection of respiratory disabilities, including asthma and COPD, due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran will undergo another VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that there was no evidence linking his service-connected disabilities to his death.
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