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 assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20002271
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 145 · Granted: 26% (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 20002271.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.