The Board granted service connection for chronic cough due to an undiagnosed illness and remanded the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's chronic cough was found to be presumptively linked to his service in Iraq, where he was exposed to environmental hazards including burn pits. An adequate medical opinion regarding OSA is needed as no nexus has been established between the Veteran's toxic exposure and his current diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic cough
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2024
- Citation
- A24065593
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for chronic cough due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as the VA medical opinions were based on an inaccurate premise.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an earlier effective date and a compensable rating for chronic cough was denied, while the claims for service connection for lower back strain, spinal fusion surgery, L3-4 foraminotomy, L4-5 discectomy, and gout in the right foot were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of March 7, 2019, for the grant of service connection for pulmonary nodule and chronic cough but denied a compensable disability rating for the same condition. The claim for service connection for lesions on lungs was remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic cough, a breathing disorder, and a left foot condition as the evidence did not support a finding of a current disability or a link to active service.
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