Asthma decisions — 2005

The Board denied service connection for asthma and asbestosis, but granted service connection for colon polyps. Service connection for hypertension was not established.

The veteran's hypertension and bronchial asthma were not shown to be incurred or aggravated by service, and the Board denied these claims as there was no evidence of direct service connection.

The Board denied increased ratings for bronchial asthma and cataracts as the veteran failed to attend scheduled VA examinations.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding new and material evidence. The case is now remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for asthma, finding that new evidence received since the last denial supports a grant of service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's bronchial asthma existed prior to service and was not aggravated during service. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma, COPD, reactive airway disease, methacholine challenge positive, chemical hyperreactivity syndrome, and disrupted immunologic imbalance/disregulation is presumed to be due to exposure to Agent Orange during service. The Board finds that there is doubt as to whether these conditions are causally related to the veteran's service-connected disability or if they have been aggravated by it.

The Board found that the veteran's asthma preexisted his military service and did not worsen beyond its natural progression during service. The Board also noted no competent medical evidence of an etiological relationship between any current diagnosis of COPD and the veteran's military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including heart disease, kidney disability, asthma/bronchitis, stroke residuals, cephalgia/headaches, and defective vision. The decision found no evidence of these conditions in service or due to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board found that the veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is not related to his service-connected bronchial asthma and denied both the secondary service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea and the increased rating claim for bronchial asthma.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of asthma or TIA's and stroke, and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions. The veteran's PTSD is not shown to be related to his asthma or TIA's and stroke.

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for bronchial asthma effective from May 31, 1999. The veteran's claim for increased ratings prior to that date remains pending.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for asthma and granted it, finding that new evidence submitted since the initial denial in January 1952 raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim. The Board also found that chronic asthma had its onset during active duty.

The Board found that asthma clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service, and thus the presumption of soundness is rebutted. The veteran's asthma was not aggravated during active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD with a history of asthmatic bronchitis and assigned an initial 60 percent evaluation, effective April 28, 2001. The award of TDIU was also granted as of this date.

The Board has granted a 10 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected sinusitis and found that his current respiratory disability, diagnosed as asthma and COPD, is related to his in-service treatment for sinusitis. The veteran's claims are now resolved in his favor.

The veteran's claim for a certificate of eligibility for assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant is denied because he does not meet the criteria due to his service-connected disabilities and non-service-connected conditions.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as his service-connected conditions did not warrant the requested higher evaluations based on the current evidence of record.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder and asthma due to a lack of credible supporting evidence of in-service stressors and current diagnoses, respectively.

The veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound was denied as he does not meet the criteria for such benefits.