Asthma decisions — 2008

The Board found that the veteran does not have asthma or restrictive airway disease that is attributable to military service, including any in-service exposure to asbestos.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing VA treatment records and incomplete medical opinions.

The veteran's claims are being remanded for further development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and attempting to locate service medical records. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Board has determined that the veteran's respiratory disabilities to include asthma and depression were not incurred or aggravated during military service, nor may they be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and asthma have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or in-service incurrence.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and review of new evidence, including a private opinion linking his hypertension to his service-connected heart disease, sleep apnea, and bronchial asthma.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bronchial asthma, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to his active military service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a lung disorder and granted his claim, finding that there is sufficient evidence to establish that his current lung disability is related to his in-service pneumonia.

The veteran's claim for service connection for asthma and non-service-connected pension benefits was denied as he did not have active duty service during a period of war.

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

The veteran's claim for a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if his service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions, finding that the evidence did not support a direct relationship to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no evidence to support his assertions of in-service injury or related disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for depression, breathing problems (including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and rhinitis), erectile dysfunction, neck disability, sleep apnea, and increased rating for chronic back strain. The decision also addressed whether new and material evidence had been received to reopen previously denied claims.

The Board found no current disability for memory loss or a nervous disorder, and the VA examiner opined that diabetes mellitus is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by service-connected disabilities.,Service connection was denied for nausea as there was no confirmed diagnosis in the medical records.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records and conduct further VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for asthma as secondary to the veteran's service-connected sinusitis and allergies.

The Board found that the veteran's lung disability, to include asthma, was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim.

The Board found that the veteran's diabetes mellitus was not related to his service and denied the claim. The asthma issue remains pending as further development is needed.

The veteran's asthma disability was granted an increased rating of 10 percent effective December 1, 2004. The RO also determined that the earlier effective date for this rating is July 30, 2004.