Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for asbestosis and denied a TDIU on an extraschedular basis, finding that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The deciding factor: The evidence showed that the Veteran’s PFT results were no worse than FVC of 97 percent predicted, or; DLCO of 71 percent predicted. The Board found that these findings did not meet the criteria for higher ratings for asbestosis.

Claimed conditions
asbestosis
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
10%
Decision date
January 23, 2020
Citation
20004998

Veterans Law Judge

Cynthia M. Bruce

Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (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 20004998.

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.

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.