Asthma decisions — 2012

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining updated medical records and requesting an addendum opinion from the VA examiner who conducted the October 2011 examination. The Veteran's asthma is presumed to have existed prior to service, but the examiner must provide a clear and unmistakable evidence that it was not aggravated during service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for bronchial asthma and a right upper extremity nerve condition, but denied them on their merits due to lack of new and material evidence. The Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disability remains pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of credible evidence supporting herbicide exposure and insufficient evidence linking his conditions to service.

The Veteran's asthma, hypertension, and mitral valve regurgitation are found to be related to service. The Board finds that the criteria for service connection have been met.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and asthma and chronic bronchitis are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have any asbestos-related disease and concluded that asthma was not incurred in or aggravated by a qualifying period of military service.

The Veteran's service-connected bronchial asthma contributed substantially and materially to his death, which was caused by metastatic lung cancer. The Board finds that the competent medical evidence is at least in equipoise to show that the Veteran's service-connected bronchial asthma contributed to his death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current respiratory disorder is causally related to service and grants her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as he does not have a current disability. The claims of service connection for asthma and fatigue are remanded.

The Board has determined that hypertension was manifested within a year of separation from service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disability, to include asthma, was denied as he failed to report for scheduled VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased evaluations have been withdrawn by his attorney.

The Board has granted service connection for a sleep disorder, to include obstructive sleep apnea; a respiratory disorder, to include bronchial asthma and bronchitis; recurrent tonsillitis; and loss of vision. These conditions are found to be directly related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bronchial asthma, finding that there was no evidence of bronchial asthma during service and that it is not related to any in-service events or exposures.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, a respiratory disability (claimed as asthma), residuals of a head injury, vertigo, chronic fatigue syndrome, recurrent dermatitis, and hysterectomy residuals. The reasons provided include lack of evidence supporting these conditions during or after service.

The Board has determined that the evidence received since the October 2001 RO decision does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim for service connection for bronchial asthma, and thus the claim is denied.

The Veteran's GERD is found to have had its onset during service and is therefore granted as service connected.

The Board found no evidence to support a service connection claim for bilateral glaucoma or asthma with allergies, as the conditions were not shown to be related to service. The Veteran's current diagnoses are not linked to his military service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bronchial asthma, but denied the underlying merits of the claim. The decision is considered 'mixed' as some issues were granted and others not.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional development of his claims file.