Allergic rhinitis Board decisions

The Board found that the veteran did not submit a timely substantive appeal regarding service connection for rhinitis, hypertension, pes planus, hearing loss and tinea cruris as well as entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for dissecting cellulitis of the scalp. The reduction from 30 percent to 0 percent in the rating for right eye blindness was improper.

The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected vasomotor rhinitis, currently rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board has granted service connection for allergic rhinitis with sinusitis and assigned a noncompensable evaluation, effective June 1, 1996.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for a back disorder, residuals of cold injury/frostbite of the feet, allergic rhinitis/conjunctivitis, and lung/respiratory disorder due to lack of competent medical evidence showing current diagnoses.

The Board has granted a 10 percent disability rating for maxillary sinusitis with allergic rhinitis, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board has determined that the appellant's chronic sinusitis and allergic rhinitis, as well as his fibromyalgia syndrome (claimed as tendonitis and bursitis of joints of the upper and lower extremities), are related to service. The decision is granted for these conditions.

The veteran's overpayment of disability compensation benefits was denied because the Board found a lack of good faith in his creation, which precluded waiver of recovery.

The Board has determined that the veteran is unemployable due to multiple disabilities, including chronic lumbar syndrome and degenerative joint disease. The evidence shows he suffers from a combination of conditions that prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions are service-connected based on direct evidence and not due to an undiagnosed illness.

The VA denied an increased evaluation for sinusitis with rhinitis, finding that the veteran's symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The veteran's appeal was denied for the issues of increased evaluations and service connection. The issue of PTSD was decided, finding that there is no evidence to support a diagnosis or in-service stressor.

The Board denied service connection for asthma and a compensable evaluation for post-operative right cheek cyst removal, but granted an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's lumbar spine disability. The decision also noted that the veteran did not have current asthma.

The veteran's allergic rhinitis, dysthymia, status post anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction of the left knee, and scar from nevi on the back are all service-connected. The veteran received a noncompensable rating for dysthymia, which was increased to 30 percent effective April 1997. The veteran's left knee condition is rated at 10 percent since April 1997.

The Board has determined that the veteran's upper respiratory disability, including allergic rhinitis and sinusitis, is attributable to service. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for alopecia areata and denied service connection for atrophic rhinitis and tinea pedis. The decision on tinea pedis remains pending as the RO is requested to obtain additional medical records.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected rhinitis, characterized as allergic rhinitis, warranted a 10 percent evaluation based on minimal crusting and slight deviation of the nasal septum. The criteria for higher evaluations were not met.

The VA has determined that the initial evaluation for the veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis is appropriate at a 10 percent level, as his symptoms do not meet or approximate criteria warranting a higher rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for evaluations in excess of 30 percent for allergic rhinitis and sinusitis, and 10 percent for asthma. The effective date remains October 1992.

The veteran's chronic upper respiratory infections are found to have originated during his active service and granted service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for sinusitis and allergic rhinitis is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.