The Veteran's claim for service connection for pulmonary emphysema is granted. The Board also remanded the claims for left and right shoulder disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's current diagnoses of pulmonary emphysema, left shoulder residual pain, and right shoulder residual pain are not at least as likely related to service due to lack of treatment records in service and insufficient evidence linking the conditions to service. The Board remanded for a new opinion on the shoulder disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary emphysema, left shoulder residual pain, rotator cuff surgery, right shoulder residual pain, rotator cuff surgery
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2026
- Citation
- A26035756
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 A26035756.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic sinusitis and remanded the claims for COPD, pulmonary emphysema, GERD, hypertension, and hypertensive CKD due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the Veteran's applications to reopen claims for service connection for mononucleosis, pulmonary emphysema, and severe tooth loss. The claim for TDIU was denied as moot due to a combined 100% rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for pulmonary emphysema, gastroparesis, and granulomatous hepatitis due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service or toxic exposure. The claim for left ventricular systolic dysfunction was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, requiring adequate medical nexus opinions.
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