The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disability, including asbestosis, finding that there is no current diagnosis of asbestosis and that any diagnosed conditions are not related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence of asbestos exposure or asbestosis in the Veteran’s medical records and concluded that the Veteran's respiratory symptoms are more likely due to nonservice-connected asthma, obesity, age, and other comorbid conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20072312
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,188 · Granted: 23% (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 20072312.
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 claims for service connection for PTSD, STD residuals, a left knee disability, and a respiratory disability have been dismissed. The Board found no error in the determination of these decisions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and a Respiratory Disability due to inadequate opinions in the VA examinations. The AOJ is instructed to obtain addendum opinions from appropriate clinicians regarding the etiology of these conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for IBS from May 19, 2024, and denied service connection for fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disorder, heart disability, and bilateral hearing loss.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 10 percent rating for allergic rhinitis, denied an initial compensable rating for irritable bowel syndrome, and denied an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for right-hand tremors. The claims for service connection for sinusitis, respiratory disability, left-hand tremors, and chronic fatigue syndrome were remanded.
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.