Inflammation and fibrosis of bronchioles leading to narrowed airways and breathing difficulty
Because this condition is rated almost entirely on objective test results, pulmonary function test (PFT) reports are the most important records you can have. A complete PFT will show FEV-1, FVC, the FEV-1/FVC ratio, and DLCO (SB), each expressed as a percent of predicted. These numbers map directly to the rating levels described above.
For a 60% rating, records of a cardiopulmonary exercise test showing maximum oxygen consumption of 15–20 ml/kg/min with a documented cardiorespiratory limitation would support that level. For a 100% rating, additional records matter: echocardiogram or cardiac catheterization reports showing pulmonary hypertension or right ventricular hypertrophy, hospital or emergency records documenting episodes of acute respiratory failure, or a prescription and treatment records showing you require outpatient oxygen therapy.
Statements from you or people who know you describing how breathing problems affect your ability to work, exercise, or carry out daily tasks can help VA understand the real-world impact of your test results, particularly when results fall near a boundary between rating levels.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
