The Veteran's service connection claim for COPD is denied. The Board finds that there is no medical or scientific evidence to support a relationship between the development of COPD and exposure to herbicides and/or asbestos.,The appeals for increased disability evaluations for coronary artery disease post CABG, scar, post CABG, and bilateral hearing loss are dismissed because they result from a prohibited concurrent election under the modernized review system. The Veteran's claims for sleep apnea are remanded.
The deciding factor: There is no medical or scientific evidence to support a relationship between COPD and exposure to herbicides and/or asbestos.,The Veteran did not provide any other theories of entitlement for service connection for COPD, and the evidence does not show or allege any other in-service event, injury, or disease that may be related to current COPD. The concurrent election under the modernized review system is prohibited.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Coronary Artery Disease post CABG, Scar, post CABG, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Sleep Apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2024
- Citation
- A24079269
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 A24079269.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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