The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there was no evidence to support a direct link between his active service and his current condition. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish that his COPD was caused or aggravated by his service-connected ischemic heart disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided opinions that the Veteran's COPD was not caused or aggravated by either his exposure to herbicides during service, or his service-connected ischemic heart disease. The opinion regarding causation stated that COPD is more likely due to smoking history rather than service events. Regarding aggravation, it was determined that IHD would not cause further damage to the lung parenchyma resulting in COPD.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 12, 2021
- Citation
- 21062887
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 21062887.
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current respiratory disability and active duty service. The VA examiner concluded that the COPD was more likely due to tobacco use rather than asbestos exposure in service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to his exposure to Agent Orange during service. COPD is considered a disease associated with such exposure.
- Granted
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for COPD. The Veteran's COPD is presumed due to exposure to herbicides, but the evidence does not support a finding that it began during active service or is related to in-service exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lung condition, including pneumonia residuals, COPD, and emphysema, is remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his military service. The appeal is reopened based on new evidence.
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