Asthma decisions — 2012

The Veteran's PTSD was first diagnosed in service and the stressors supporting the diagnosis are consistent with his deployments as a signals intelligence and ground electronic warfare specialist. The Board finds that the criteria for establishing service connection for PTSD have been met, granting the claim.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of July 27, 1999 for the award of TDIU is granted as this was the date she filed her initial claim for service connection for PTSD. The criteria for a TDIU were met during the period from July 27, 1999 to August 12, 2003 due to her service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, coronary artery disease, nephritis (including history of nephritis and kidney stones), and a chronic respiratory disorder (to include asthma). The evidence does not support current diagnoses or a link to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including heart disorder, brain cancer, a lesion on the middle finger, prostate cancer, asthma, and chloracne, all claimed as due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The appeal was not about service connection at all.

The Veteran's service connection claims for memory loss and difficulty sleeping, as well as asthma and shortness of breath, have been granted. The Veteran has objective indications of a chronic disability that became manifest during his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate examination reports and failure to consider her statements regarding service in the Persian Gulf.

The Veteran is eligible for a 100% benefit level of educational assistance benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill due to his service-connected asthma and discharge from active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for asthma, finding that the Veteran's disability is likely due to disease or injury incurred in active service. Service connection was denied for dry eye syndrome.

The Board found that the Veteran's asthma existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service beyond its natural progression, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for treatment at Foote Memorial Hospital from May 12, 2008 to May 14, 2008 were denied because he refused transfer to a VA facility when arrangements were made and reasonable attempts were documented.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hay fever and bronchial asthma are likely due to his military service, with hay fever preexisting his first period of service and aggravated by his second period of service. Bronchial asthma is shown as likely due to his second period of service.

The Veteran's claim for earlier effective dates was denied as his application for benefits was received by VA on January 18, 2007, which is the date he contacted the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) office. The one-year deadline for filing a claim after separation from service has expired.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including pulmonary function tests and a VA examination to address his service-connected asthma. His claim for TDIU is also being referred back to the RO.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a respiratory disorder related to service, including exposure to asbestos. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for tinnitus, reopened his claims for left ear hearing loss and asthma, and found that new evidence raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to determine the current severity of his service-connected asthmatic bronchitis and whether it warrants a higher rating.

The Veteran died of an acute myocardial infarction caused by his willful misconduct of abusing prescription medication.,Neither service-connected bronchial asthma with COPD nor any other condition contributed to the cause of death.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including asthma, diabetes mellitus, right elbow disability, numbness in the feet, and left knee disability have been granted. The Veteran also has a 10 percent rating assigned for hypertension.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including PTSD, neck disability, tinnitus, left ankle and bilateral foot disabilities, and asthma. The decision also noted that there was no evidence of a current psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records review, particularly regarding her service connection claims for various respiratory disabilities.