Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and VA Disability | All You Need To Know

Leah breaks down everything veterans need to know about getting VA disability benefits for COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). She explains how COPD includes conditions like chronic bronchitis and emphysema, outlines symptoms, and dives into medical literature showing a strong connection between toxic military exposures (like burn pits or Agent Orange) and COPD—even in non-smokers. Leah details the VA rating system, diagnostic codes, necessary medical documentation (like pulmonary function tests), and strategies for building a strong claim. She also clarifies how COPD can be service-connected directly, secondarily, or presumptively, and encourages veterans to seek help from VSOs or accredited representatives if they’ve been denied.

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About:

At Prestige Veteran Medical Consulting, a veteran-owned company, we specialize in Independent Medical Opinions (IMOs) known as Nexus letters.

The purpose of this channel is to empower YOU, the veteran, to take charge of your medical evidence and provide you with valuable educational tools and research to guide you on your journey. 

Understanding the unique challenges veterans face our commitment lies in delivering exceptional service and support.
Leveraging an extensive network of licensed independent medical professionals, all well-versed in the medical professional aspects of the VA claims process, we review the necessary medical evidence to incorporate in our reports related to your VA Disability Claim. 

Prestige Veteran Medical Consulting is not a law firm, accredited claims agent, or affiliated with the Veterans Administration or Veterans Services Organizations. However, we are happy to discuss your case with your accredited VA legal professional.

⚠️ DISCLAIMER
This video is not medical or legal advice and should not be substituted for advisement from your VSO, accredited agent, or Attorney.

#vadisability  #va  #veteransbenefits

Episode Transcript

Leah Bucholz (00:05):
Hey guys, it's Leah B from Prestige Veteran
Medical Consulting. I am a USArmy veteran, physician
assistant, and formercompensation and pension
examiner. So welcome back to thePrestige podcast. I wanted to
welcome everybody for a chat onCOPD and VA disability. So here
we try to simplify the complexworld of VA disability from a
medical expert standpoint andgive you some pearls on some

(00:29):
things to look at.
So today's topic again hits onthe lungs. So we're gonna talk
about COPD or chronicobstructive pulmonary disease.
So if you're a veteran who hasstruggled with breathing issues,
chronic cough, fatigue,especially after exposure to
things like burn pits, dust,chemical fumes, then this
episode is definitely for you.So let's start off by talking

(00:53):
about the basics. So what isCOPD?
Right? So chronic obstructivepulmonary disease or COPD is an
umbrella term that includesconditions like emphysema,
chronic bronchitis, or acombination, in some cases,
combination of both, sometimeseven refractory asthma. It

(01:14):
causes long term airflowlimitation that makes it
difficult to breathe. Symptomsusually include things like
shortness of breath, cough,chronic cough, right? So there's
bronchitis and acute bronchitisis sort of like the common cold,
right?
But we're talking about chronicbronchitis or COPD, wheezing,

(01:35):
excessive mucus production inmany cases, fatigue, chest
tightness. COPD is notreversible, but it can be
managed. However, for manyveterans, the condition
progresses over time, especiallywhen left untreated or
misdiagnosed early on. So let'stalk about some medical

(01:55):
literature. I always like totalk about medical literature
that you guys can bring to yourtreating providers to see if
they can support you in yourpursuit of VA disability.
So let's dig into some of thatbecause it's just not a
coincidence in veterans. So letme pull up this literature. So a
2020 study published in theJournal of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine foundthat veterans exposed to burn

(02:18):
pits, diesel exhaust and desertdust had significantly higher
rates of COPD compared to nonexposed populations. The VA
airborne hazards and open burnpit registry continues to show a
clear link between service inIraq, Afghanistan, and Southwest
Asia, and the development ofchronic respiratory conditions,

(02:41):
including COPD. Another majorstudy in CHEST Journal, show
that even veterans without asmoking history developed COPD
at higher rates if they wereexposed to environmental toxins
during service.
And let's not forget olderveterans. So research shows that
Vietnam era veterans exposed toAgent Orange are also at risk

(03:04):
not only for cancer, but forother types of diseases, right?
So if you're thinking, well, Inever smoked, so why do I have
this? You're not alone. Becausesmoking is like one of the
number one risk factors, but youdon't have to just be a smoker.
So military environmentalexposures are well documented
contributor to COPD. So how doveterans get service connected

(03:27):
for COPD? So to get COPD serviceconnected, you have to establish
that your condition is linked toyour military service. And that
can be done in a few differentways, right? So there's direct
service connection or primaryservice connection.
So if you were diagnosed whileon active duty, that can be
pretty straightforward, right?So secondary and and it's still

(03:50):
going on, right? So secondaryservice connection, if COPD is
caused or worsened by anotherservice connected condition, you
might be able to get serviceconnected for the condition. So
presumptively, again, if you hadsome toxic exposures like burn
pits that might make it sort ofeasy. So starting in 2021, the
VA began recognizing particulatematter exposure in Southwest

(04:14):
Asia and Afghanistan aspresumptively linked to
respiratory conditions,including COPD and asthma, which
can evolve into COPD.
So again, I'm sorry, chronicbronchitis and asthma. So COPD
itself, again, it will alwaysmaintain that COPD is gonna be
strongly related to smoking, butI've seen veterans, not all the

(04:38):
time, but if your mental healthcondition forces you to do these
unhealthy mechanisms likesmoking or drinking, sometimes
disorders related to thosethings can also be service
connected. So again, not always,if you're just choosing to smoke
because you want to, that'sdifferent. But if it's a stress
mechanism that you're smokingand that's helping with your

(05:00):
PTSD, there might be somethingthere, right? And I have another
full video on smoking and mentalhealth and alcohol and mental
health related disorders as sortof an intermediate link that you
might wanna look at.
So the VA uses 38 code offederal regulation 4.97
diagnostic code 6,604 to ratethis base. And they look at
things like pulmonary functiontesting, FEV1, FVC. So here's a

(05:25):
quick breakdown of thoseratings. So at ten percent, a
person might have mild airflowlimitations. At thirty percent,
the person has moderateimpairment and there's some FEV1
ratings that go into that aswell.
Sixty percent moderately severeimpairment. And at a hundred
percent, it's severe impairmentwith the FEV1 less than 40% or

(05:46):
the need for oxygen therapy.These ratings are based on how
well your lungs are functioning,not just your symptoms. So if
your test results aren't doneproperly or aren't submitted
properly or whatever, if the VAcan't see them, it might impact
things, right? So medicalevidence.
So of course you should probablyhave a diagnosis if you wanna

(06:07):
get service connected for COPDor if you're appealing a denial
or whatever with your accreditedrepresentative. So again, that
current diagnosis from apulmonologist or whatever doctor
is treating you, You've probablyhad pulmonary function testing,
which are results that are gonnashow that FEV one and some other
values that go into the rating.Documentation, if you have any

(06:30):
documentation of environmentalexposures, like the burn pit
stuff or any other toxicchemicals, Those TERA exams show
stuff often. A nexus letter isnot required but can sometimes
be helpful. But you can also geta nexus letter as simple as just
a few sentences from yourtreating provider if they're
willing to provide it to explaina cause effect relationship

(06:52):
between your service and COPD.
This can be especially helpfulif you weren't diagnosed in
service or if it wasn't tillmany years after service. So
remember also that just becauseyou were a smoker doesn't mean
that you can't be serviceconnected. Sometimes these
things you know, work in tandemand make things worse. Right?
Those chemical contaminants.
So, things that can kinda makethings troublesome if you don't

(07:14):
include or don't have PFPresults, that can be kinda
tough. They may order those foryou. Overlooking secondary
conditions like sleep apnea,heart disease, if those are
related to your COPD. You know,making sure that you discuss the
impact on your daily life andwork. If you've gotta use oxygen
or you have other physicallimitations, assuming that no

(07:35):
smoking history automaticallydisproves things.
Like I mentioned, that'ssomething that's there's never
an always or never, right? So ifyou're a veteran and you're
struggling to breathe and youserved in areas where there were
toxic exposures that werecommon, don't just brush it off,
right? COPD can be absolutely beconnected to your service. If
you're having trouble or you'vebeen denied before, always check

(07:58):
out a VSO that are, you know, inyour local area. You can also
get with an accredited claimsagent or an accredited attorney.
I've got some really greatvideos on, the tools va.gov has
to go search one in your area. Ithink you can search by zip
code. So I hope this washelpful. Please drop some
comments and let me know if youguys what your experiences have

(08:20):
been. Always like hearing backfrom you guys if these videos
are helpful.
And, if there's anything elseyou want me to talk about or you
wanna hear about, just again,drop some comments. As always,
thank you for watching and Iwill talk to you guys soon.
Okay? Bye.