The Veteran's lung/respiratory disorders, including asthma, COPD, and interstitial lung disease, are granted as service-connected due to exposure to burn pits during the Persian Gulf War.
The deciding factor: The January 2020 VA examiner indicated that the complaints of breathing problems were attributable to known clinical diagnoses (asthma, COPD, and interstitial lung disease), but these conditions are presumed related to service based on exposure to burn pits in Southwest Asia.
- Claimed conditions
- asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung disease, pulmonary embolus with pulmonary hypertension due to deep vein thrombosis (PTE)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20054857
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 20054857.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, is denied as service connection is not warranted due to the condition being solely attributed to smoking.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases of sleep apnea and asthma due to a failure to provide proper notice for a hearing.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to August 14, 2023.
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