Asthma decisions — 2019

The Board has denied service connection for fatigue, but granted service connection for asthma. The Veteran's current disability manifested by fatigue is not supported by the evidence of record.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for urinary/bladder disability, chest pain (atypical chest pain), respiratory/shortness of breath/wheezing/asthma, hypertension (high blood pressure), pelvic pain (fibroids and severe cramps), and anemia due to lack of evidence of a current diagnosis or link to service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for clarification regarding the use of systemic corticosteroids and immune-suppressive drugs. Separate evaluations for OSA at 50 percent and asthma at 60 percent are denied.

The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the March 1980 or February 2009 rating decisions regarding service connection for various conditions. The claims were denied based on a lack of evidence supporting these conditions during service.

The Veteran's claims for sleep apnea, right knee disability, asthma, and left lower extremity radiculopathy were not granted. The claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbar spine disability was denied. The claim for an effective date prior to April 13, 2015, for PTSD rating increase was remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and remanded the cases for further development regarding right wrist fracture residuals, asthma, and TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma is denied as there is no current diagnosis of asthma and the essential element of a diagnosis at any time during the appeal period has not been established.

The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected condition, and the cause of death (dementia) is not considered to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (asthma, dry eyes, and pseudofolliculitis barbae) do not preclude him from obtaining or retaining all forms of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work experience.

The Veteran's claims for fibromyalgia, asthma, GERD, prostate disability, skin disabilities, and a mass removed from the back are all denied as there is no evidence of these conditions during service or within one year of separation. The Board found that the Veteran did not have any of these conditions due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Board has dismissed the appeal on the increased rating claim for lumbar spine disability. The Veteran's asthma and candida esophagitis with gastritis are both rated at 10 percent, but his migraine headaches do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The lung disability (to include asthma) claim is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to additional relevant evidence being added to his claims file.

The Board denied all requests for an effective date prior to September 1, 2013 for the awards of service connection and payment of disability compensation.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and reopening of service connection claims were denied. The rating for tinnitus was found to be at the maximum allowable, asthma was rated appropriately based on PFT results, and new evidence did not support reopening of claims for recurrent ear infections or breast augmentation. Service connection for left knee disorder, low back disorder, left hip disorder, right hip disorder, and left leg disorder were denied due to lack of service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's petitions to reopen previously denied claims for service connection of DDD of the lumbar spine, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left knee injury, and right knee injury. The petition to reopen the claim for asthma was also denied as no new and material evidence was presented.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for service-connected sleep apnea with asthma (claimed as shortness of breath) is denied. The issues of initial compensable ratings for chronic allergic eustachian tube dysfunction/blockage and migraine headaches are remanded.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling examinations to determine the current severity of HPV, the nature and etiology of asthma, and the relationship between irritable colon syndrome and service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's breathing disability, including asthma, sinusitis, rhinitis and nasal polyps, is presumed to be related to herbicide agent exposure during service. The Board granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for asthma, COPD, hypertensive vascular disease, and herpes simplex keratitis. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.