Asthma decisions — 2008

The VA has granted a 30 percent rating for the veteran's bronchial asthma, effective September 19, 2003.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, asthma, and malaria. The claim for hearing loss is being remanded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for asthma and residuals of cold injury to lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability attributable to these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of a stress fracture, left tibia do not warrant an increased rating as they do not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.

The Board has granted service connection for asthma and an initial rating of 30% for migraine headaches, effective from the date of discharge.

The Board found no evidence of asbestos-related lung disease in service and concluded that the veteran's current respiratory conditions are not related to his military service, including any claimed asbestos exposure.

The Board has determined that the veteran's asthma began during his military service and is not related to any pre-existing condition. Therefore, the claim for service connection for asthma is granted.

The veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and conducting new examinations to assess his COPD with asthma, heart condition, and personality change.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right knee condition, asthma, and mild stroke due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The case is being remanded to the RO/AMC for further development and reconstruction of the veteran's claims file. The VA will search for the missing file, reconstruct as much evidence as possible, and issue a Statement of the Case regarding the claim for service connection for gonorrhea.

The Board found that the veteran's asthma preexisted service and did not permanently increase in severity during his active duty. The current respiratory disorder is not due to an incident in service, including exposure to asbestos, diesel fumes, or chemical fumes.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development and readjudication due to new evidence received, as well as issues related to service connection and TDIU.

The Board found that the veteran did not incur additional physical disability, diagnosed as left shoulder dislocation, due to VA's prescription of antihypertensive medication in April 2004. The proximate cause was not reasonably foreseeable. As for the lung disorder claim, no examination or opinion has been provided yet.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a 'breathing disorder' and residuals of radiation exposure, finding that there is no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service or service-connected disabilities.

The veteran's service-connected bronchial asthma alone is shown to preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work background.

The veteran withdrew his appeal of all issues, including entitlement to an increased disability rating for postoperative residuals, lumbar disc disease; entitlement to an increased disability rating for bilateral shin splints; entitlement to a compensable disability rating for left navicular fracture; entitlement to service connection for a right knee disability; and, entitlement to service connection for asthma.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for asbestosis, resulting in a denial of the claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including a new VA examination and compliance with Vazquez-Flores v. Peake requirements.

The Board has found new and material evidence to reopen the claims of service connection for chondromalacia of the knees and bronchial asthma, and these claims are now pending before the RO.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for asthma. However, it was determined that asthma did not exist prior to service and was not aggravated by active service. The other claims were also denied as there is no evidence of arthritis, hernia repair, cervical spine disorder, or low back disorder during service. The parakeratotic squamous mucosa with focal acute inflammation of the soft palate claim was also denied.