The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for pulmonary disease. However, the preponderance of the evidence is against finding a link between the Veteran's current diagnosis of COPD and his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' opinions established that the Veteran’s emphysema and COPD are not at least as likely as not related to an in-service injury, event, or disease, including asbestos exposure. The combined rationale was that the Veteran's COPD could not be clearly linked to his history of working as a boiler technician since the diagnosis of pulmonary asbestosis is not established.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2021
- Citation
- 21000295
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 21000295.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for non-service-connected pension benefits is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and development of records. The case will be readjudicated after these steps are completed.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for hypertension and pulmonary disease, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for pulmonary disease and found no evidence of a chronic condition during or within one year after service. The low back strain was rated at 20% effective June 18, 1992, and the left maxillary sinusitis had been rated as noncompensable since October 7, 1996.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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