Asthma decisions — 2013

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for asthma due to conflicting evidence regarding whether his current condition is related to a pre-existing condition or if it was aggravated by tobacco use during service. The case will be returned for further development and consideration.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma, to include as due to asbestos exposure. The issue is now remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection has been remanded due to the withdrawal of an appeal for asthma by the appellant.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is not related to his service or asbestos exposure, and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to determine if any current respiratory disorder, including asthma, bronchitis, pleurisy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung disease, is related to service or secondary to in-service herbicide exposure. The examiner should also consider whether the preexisting respiratory disorder underwent an increase in disability during service.

The Board finds that the appellant's current respiratory disability, including asthma and bronchitis, is causally related to his active service. The Board affords the appellant the benefit of doubt in favor of a connection between his service and these disabilities.

The Veteran's asthma was granted a rating of 30 percent effective June 1, 2011. The appeals for sinusitis and allergic rhinitis remain pending.

The Veteran's asthma, with allergic rhinitis and sinusitis, has been rated at 10 percent since the grant of service connection. The right eye condition remains noncompensable.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder, including asthma and obstructive sleep apnea. The claim for diabetes mellitus was also denied. The Veteran's recurrent left tibia fractures were rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board found that asthma, pes planus, and a chronic skin rash were not service-connected as they did not manifest during the appellant's periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA) or INACDUTRA. The appellant's asthma was first noted after her second period of ACDUTRA.

The Veteran's asthma was found to be incurred in service, resulting in a grant of service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination reports addressing whether the Veteran's preexisting respiratory/pulmonary disability was aggravated during service. The appeal is currently pending and will be addressed after obtaining an addendum from the examiner.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals, and all issues are dismissed.

The Board denied reopening of the Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma, finding that no new and material evidence had been received.

The Veteran's exercise-induced asthma has not resulted in the required pulmonary function test results for a higher rating, and does not require at least monthly visits to a physician or intermittent courses of systemic corticosteroids. Therefore, an initial rating in excess of 30 percent is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for asthma and tinea cruris, finding that the Veteran's conditions are at least as likely as not related to his active duty service. The other issues have been remanded due to incomplete records.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of his allergies and asthma.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, urinary tract infection, bilateral shin splints, and back strain. The remaining 12 service connection claims were also denied.

The Board has remanded the case for a video conference hearing at the RO in Detroit, Michigan. The Veteran's claims for service connection for bronchial asthma and an acquired psychiatric disorder are still pending.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination to address the relationship between the Veteran's current laryngeal cancer and asthma, and his military service, particularly exposure as a welder.