The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) as it was not shown to be causally or etiologically related to an in-service event, injury, or disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' opinions and the lack of a significant exposure to other possible causes in the claims file supported the conclusion that the Veteran's COPD is more likely due to his 20-year history of smoking than any in-service exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2024
- Citation
- A24071631
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical dysplasia, tension headaches, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), and denied increased ratings for right elbow flexion, supination and pronation, extension, and scars. The Board also remanded claims for fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and irritable bowel syndrome.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), emphysema, and left shoulder degenerative arthritis to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error and to satisfy a regulatory or statutory duty that may aid in substantiating the Veteran's claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for breathing impairment to include COPD and emphysema, secondary to asbestos exposure, due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
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