The Board denied service connection for amblyopia (claimed as defective vision), COPD, and bladder cancer. The Veteran's claim was also remanded for additional development regarding hypertension.,Service connection for these conditions could not be established due to lack of a chronic disability in or after service, absence of evidence linking the disabilities to service, and inability to establish continuity of symptomatology.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have a chronic eye disability (including amblyopia) during or after service. The Board found that his vision issues were due to refractive error rather than an in-service injury.,COPD was first diagnosed many years after service, and the evidence showed it was related to smoking, which began before service. Service connection for COPD could not be established as it did not meet the criteria of being proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability.,Bladder cancer was first diagnosed in 2010, many years after service. The evidence showed no link between the condition and service exposure to Agent Orange. Service connection for bladder cancer could not be established as it did not meet the criteria of being proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Amblyopia (claimed as defective vision), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Bladder Cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 4, 2020
- Citation
- 20051522
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 20051522.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for COPD due to duty-to-assist errors and a need for a supplemental medical opinion.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal to reduce the ratings for OSA and COPD with asthma and granuloma of the lung was denied, as well as his attempt to add a claim for service connection for aphasia secondary to TBI. The appeals were dismissed due to untimeliness.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD is remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board requests an addendum opinion from a pulmonologist or clinician with appropriate expertise to determine if the Veteran's COPD is etiologically related to his VA conceded TERA exposure, including exposure to TCDD, jet fuel and engine exhaust, hazardous chemicals, lead, vehicle engine exhaust fumes, chemical vapors, oily/hazardous waste, chemical solvents, and compressed gases.
- Denied
The Veteran's COPD was evaluated and found not to meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating based on the provided pulmonary function test results. The Board denied the claim as there is no evidence of service connection or exposure basis that would warrant a higher rating.
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