The Board denied service connection for war lung injury - small air and remanded the issue of disposition of retroactive benefits for the grant of service connection for COPD and emphysema.
The deciding factor: There is no indication that the Veteran has any disability relating to the claimed war lung injury - small air that is separate and distinct from his already service-connected respiratory disabilities, leading to a denial of service connection. The RO will implement the grant of service connection for COPD and emphysema with an initial 30 percent rating effective January 3, 2023.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, war lung injury - small air
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- November 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25101012
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,421 · Granted: 31% (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 A25101012.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
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- Dismissed
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asthma, COPD, pancreatitis, stroke, and left arm weakness (claimed as secondary to stroke) based on the presumption of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or due to in-service exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lung condition, including pneumonia residuals, COPD, and emphysema, is remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his military service. The appeal is reopened based on new evidence.
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