The Board granted service connection for COPD, a back disability, and erectile dysfunction, to include as secondary to the service-connected PTSD. The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 70 percent, and TDIU was also granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence is in approximate balance on whether the Veteran's conditions are related to his active service, and upon resolution of all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, service connection is warranted.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Back disability, Erectile dysfunction, to include as secondary to service-connected PTSD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- May 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25044789
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for right lower extremity (RLE) radiculopathy but remanded the back disability claim for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The appeal for service connection for PTSD was dismissed, and the claims for a compensable rating for the lower back scar, service connection for COPD, and peripheral artery disease were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, COPD, a gastrointestinal disability, and migraines due to lack of evidence supporting a link between these conditions and her military service.
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