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Board of Veterans' Appeals · Legacy series

Entitlement to service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including as secondary to service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for accrued benefits purposes, is granted.

January 30, 2026Citation Nr. 26001460Docket 11-06 566va.gov source

  • COPD, including as secondary to service-connected PTSD, accrued benefits purposesGranted
  • Lung disability other than COPD, including granulomatous disease, bullous lung disease, noncancerous lung mass, accrued benefits purposesGranted
  • Skin condition including eczema, erythrasma, seborrheic keratoses, benign nevi, lentigines, accrued benefits purposesGranted
  • Peptic ulcer disease, duodenal ulcer, GERD, accrued benefits purposesGranted
DecisionAnalysis

Board reasoning

The Board found that the Veteran’s COPD and lung disability are due to service and service-connected PTSD, with multiple examinations supporting current diagnoses. It resolved reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor, concluding a causal relationship between each claimed disability and in-service exposure (herbicide, fuels/solvents, asbestos) or PTSD, and granted secondary service connection where asserted. The skin condition was linked to herbicide exposure in Vietnam, and the stomach conditions were attributed to PTSD; all conclusions relied on favorable in-service exposure history and medical opinions with a consistent narrative of continuity from service through the appeal period.

Issues

  • COPD, including as secondary to service-connected PTSD, accrued benefits purposesGranted
  • Lung disability other than COPD, including granulomatous disease, bullous lung disease, noncancerous lung mass, accrued benefits purposesGranted
  • Skin condition including eczema, erythrasma, seborrheic keratoses, benign nevi, lentigines, accrued benefits purposesGranted
  • Peptic ulcer disease, duodenal ulcer, GERD, accrued benefits purposesGranted

Authorities

  • Jandreau v. Nicholson, 492 F.3d 1372Used to support plausibility of continuity of symptoms by lay testimony.
  • Gilbert v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 49Cited for benefit-of-the-doubt standard.
  • Curry v. Brown, 7 Vet. App. 59Used to assess contemporaneous medical evidence over history as related to diagnosis.
  • Rucker v. Brown, 10 Vet. App. 67Affirmed reliability of medical nexus statements when made for diagnosis and treatment.
  • Shedden v. Principi, 381 F.3d 1163Cited for the three-element test for service connection and causal relationship.

Extracted with gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07. Citations are kept only when they appear in the decision text.