Asthma decisions — 2011

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral foot disability and right and left foot strain has been granted.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder (including bronchitis and asthma) is pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left ear hearing loss, bronchitis, knee disorders, asthma, and increased evaluation for major depressive disorder. The appeals were decided on a direct basis without any presumption or secondary theory of service connection.

The Veteran's death is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing an updated medical opinion regarding the relationship between his service-connected bronchial asthma and his cause of death.

The Board denied service connection for asthma in November 1999 and later granted it in December 2007 with an effective date of December 14, 2005. The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date based on his original claim.

The Board found no credible evidence linking the Veteran's current TBI, to include headaches, to service. The VA treatment records do not show a continuity of symptomatology from service to the present. Therefore, service connection for TBI is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to failure in duty to assist and jurisdictional issues. The Veteran's claims for service connection are now pending again with the RO.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not have asthma, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, laryngitis, bronchitis, or emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease during service and there is no current evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's bronchial asthma does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as his pulmonary function tests do not show FEV-1 or FEV-1/FVC scores of between 40 and 55 percent of predicated values, and he did not use systemic steroids at least three times per year.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and opinion regarding whether her asthma worsened during service.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to the need for additional records and a review of his Social Security Administration disability benefits decision.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine the etiology of any nasal/sinus/respiratory disability, including COPD, asthma, seasonal allergic rhinitis, bronchitis, and deviated septum. The Veteran's service treatment records indicate respiratory symptoms in service, but no definitive diagnosis was made.

The Board has requested further development due to unclear diagnoses and the need for additional testing. The Veteran is required to provide information about any VA or non-VA treatment during a specific period, and all identified records must be obtained.

The Veteran's asthma is rated at 30 percent since June 1, 2005. Prior to that date, the disability was rated as noncompensable.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including psychiatric disorders, sleep disorder, headaches, breathing problems (asthma), bilateral shoulder disabilities, ankle disabilities, and knee disabilities, all of which were claimed as due to Persian Gulf War undiagnosed illness. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran is seeking TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities. The Board has determined that an updated VA examination and records are needed to fully evaluate the claim.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for asthma have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation prior to November 5, 1990; granted a 30 percent evaluation from November 5, 1990, to August 19, 2005; and granted a 60 percent evaluation as of August 20, 2005.

The case is being remanded for further action including VA examinations and additional development of the Veteran's claims.

The Veteran's exercise-induced asthma is found to be related to his military service and has been granted service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied.,The claim of new and material evidence to reopen a left knee disability has also been denied.

The Veteran's first wife and four biological children were added as dependents to his VA disability compensation award effective October 24, 2000.