The Board denied service connection for a thyroid disability and a respiratory disorder, to include COPD and emphysema, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found no credible evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other toxic chemicals, and medical opinions supported that the thyroid condition was less likely than not caused by service, while the respiratory disorder had no connection to service based on the available evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- respiratory disorder, to include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema, thyroid disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 29, 2025
- Citation
- A25047716
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,963 · Granted: 32% (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 A25047716.
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Related decisions
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- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a thyroid disability, including hypothyroidism and goiter, finding that it is related to herbicide exposure during active duty in Vietnam.
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The Veteran's cause of death was hyperkalemia, hemolytic anemia, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. His Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia substantially contributed to his death.,Service connection for tremors is granted with an effective date of April 11, 2012.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found a pre-decisional duty to assist error and remanded the claims for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for throat cancer, mouth disability, thyroid disability, and esophagus disability. The Veteran's symptoms of sore throat in service are noted, but no medical nexus opinions were provided.
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