The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma exacerbation, a respiratory disability (COPD), and bilateral pulmonary embolism as there is no evidence of current disabilities or in-service events that are causally related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners concluded that the Veteran’s conditions were not caused by his military service, including asbestos exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- asthma exacerbation, respiratory disability (COPD), bilateral pulmonary embolism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20003505
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,446 · Granted: 21% (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 20003505.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for respiratory disability (COPD), left hand disability (carpal tunnel syndrome), and right hand disability (carpal tunnel syndrome) due to the Veteran's credible testimony of symptoms during service, medical records confirming diagnoses, and the absence of any evidence contradicting a direct relationship between his military service and these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, GERD, respiratory disability (COPD), obstructive sleep apnea, and prostate disability. The Board found no current diagnosed disabilities and insufficient evidence of an in-service event, injury, or disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient VA medical opinions and procedural errors. The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral pulmonary embolism, left ankle condition, and right ankle condition, all of which are related to his active duty service.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral pulmonary embolism and an eye disability, including chronic open angle glaucoma, nodular scleritis, blepharitis, and dry eye syndrome. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions began during service or are related to in-service events.
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