Asbestosis decisions — 2019

The Board has determined that further development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for lung and heart conditions due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. Specifically, a VA examination is required to determine if any current lung or heart condition is related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for asbestosis has been reopened and granted.,Service connection is established for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, tension headaches, COPD, and obstructive sleep apnea, all of which are found to be related to the Veteran's service-connected herniated disc disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's asbestosis is related to his military service, granting his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted for headaches, rhinitis/sinusitis, low back disorder, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral shoulder disorder, right elbow disorder, and chest pain. Service connection has also been denied for hyperlipidemia.

The Board has dismissed all appeals related to the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating determinations due to his death.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence in the current record, particularly regarding the relationship between any respiratory disorders and service exposure to asbestos. The Veteran is requested to provide updated VA treatment records and undergo a new VA examination.

The Board has determined that there is equipoise of evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current chronic respiratory disorder is due to his active service, including in-service asbestos exposure. Therefore, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected asbestosis did not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation at any time from December 27, 2006, to June 5, 2013.

The Board has dismissed the claims for COPD and prostate cancer, and has remanded the claim of asbestosis due to in-service asbestos exposure.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's asbestosis and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, anxiety) are not related to service. The case is being remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for pulmonary fibrosis (asbestosis) as a result of exposure to asbestos, finding that there was not sufficient evidence to establish a link between his current condition and his military service.

The Board dismissed all claims for service connection due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete medical records and the need for a comprehensive medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death, specifically whether his service-connected conditions contributed substantially or materially to his death.

The Board denied service connection for a thyroid disability, finding that the Veteran's nodules are not cancerous or tumors and not causally related to his active service, including exposure to radiation during service.,The Board also denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for asbestosis, noting that the Veteran’s condition did not meet the criteria for higher ratings based on pulmonary function tests.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for asbestosis, finding no evidence linking his current condition to any event or disease incurred in service.