The Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD is denied as the evidence does not support a link between his current condition and in-service asbestos exposure.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied because there was no increase in severity during service. The Veteran had pre-existing hearing loss at entry into service.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for DM II (diabetes mellitus type 2) due to herbicide agent exposure is remanded as VA needs to verify his reported exposure.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of a link between the Veteran’s COPD and in-service asbestos exposure.,The Veteran's pre-existing hearing loss did not worsen during service, so it cannot be considered aggravated by service.,VA needs to verify whether the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents while serving on the USS Denver.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM II)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20002271
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 145 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20002271.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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