Allergic rhinitis decisions — 2001

The Board has determined that the veteran's allergic rhinitis was incurred in service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for allergic rhinitis and sinusitis secondary to a service-connected condition. The veteran appealed these decisions.

The Board found that the veteran's cause of death, a gastrointestinal bleed due to or as the consequence of lymphoma, was not caused by any service-connected disability. The preexisting allergic rhinitis and food allergies were determined to have existed prior to service and did not worsen during service.

The Board denied service connection for bloody stools, abdominal pain, skin rash, and nose bleeds as there were no objective indicators of an undiagnosed illness. Service connection was granted for hemorrhoids (incurred in service) and gastritis (also incurred in service).

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for allergic rhinitis with headaches and prostatitis, finding that the current ratings of 10 percent were appropriate under both old and new rating criteria.

The veteran was granted service connection for residuals of a fungal infection to the nails of her hands and feet, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. She was also granted service connection for sinusitis/rhinitis, but her claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for headaches remains pending.,The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and sinusitis/rhinitis are both denied.

The veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder, sinusitis and rhinitis, and metatarsalgia are all rated at their maximum levels. The veteran is also found to be unemployable due to his disabilities.

The veteran's claim for PTSD was denied in November 1989, and the evidence received since then is not new and material. The claims for psychiatric disability, headaches, allergic rhinitis, residuals of shell fragment wounds of the left shoulder, leg, and toe, as well as sinusitis are all denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bursitis of both hips, upper respiratory disorder (sinusitis or allergic rhinitis), and gastrointestinal disability. The claim for sinusitis was granted.

The VA denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that the veteran was not entitled to such benefits due to lack of service connection and no evidence supporting a hypothetical entitlement based on his death.

The veteran's service-connected right patellar tendinitis and lumbosacral strain were granted increased ratings, while the other conditions remained at their current levels. The veteran's hypertension was also granted an increased rating.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for sarcoidosis and granted a 10 percent rating for allergic rhinitis, but denied the reopening of his previous claims.

The VA has determined that the appellant's service-connected conditions, including degenerative disc disease at L5-S1, bronchial asthma, and allergic rhinitis, do not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The veteran's chronic allergic rhinitis was first manifested during his military service and is therefore granted service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating, finding that allergic rhinitis was incurred during active duty but Bell's palsy did not meet criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Board has granted an increased rating to 60 percent for the veteran's service-connected asthma, effective as of the date of this decision. The claim for an increased rating for allergic rhinitis remains denied.

The veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis is currently rated at 30 percent, effective February 19, 1992. The Board found that the condition prior to this date did not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent and after this date does not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The veteran's low back pain syndrome is granted with a 40 percent evaluation effective March 2, 2000. Bilateral pes planus and right long finger metacarpophalangeal joint disability are each granted with noncompensable evaluations.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his sinusitis and rhinitis, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher than 30 percent rating.