Asthma decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of the award of a 30 percent rating for asthma is denied.,The Board has referred the issue of entitlement to TDIU on an extraschedular basis to the Director of Compensation Service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and further development is required.

The Veteran's asthma is granted service connection as it is caused or aggravated by his service-connected gastroesophageal reflux disease and obstructive sleep apnea. Service connection for the residuals of a TBI is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bullous emphysema, but the issues of service connection for chronic bronchitis, asthma, and sinus tachycardia are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for asthma and bilateral hearing loss, with effective dates of March 3, 2011. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted since November 1, 2012, as his service-connected disabilities resulted in a combined rating of at least 70 percent and he was unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for asthmatic bronchitis as new and material evidence was not received, despite ongoing treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disability, including bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (BOOP), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and herbicide exposure or service-connected ischemic heart disease.

The Veteran's service-connected bronchial asthma alone did not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, as he was able to perform sedentary type jobs.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's asthma is not related to service, and his sterility claim lacks a current disability. The low back disability and tinnitus claims are remanded for further development.,Service connection cannot be granted for asthma as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease, and the current condition is not shown to have been caused by exposure to asbestos or radiation.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for asthma, a heart disability, basal cell carcinoma, and diabetes mellitus (DM) II due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran is required to provide updated private treatment records or submit them himself. Additionally, the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during service needs to be determined.

The Board has denied service connection for early menopause and remanded the issue of service connection for a respiratory disability, to include asthma. The Veteran's claim for early menopause is denied as it is not a compensable condition. For the respiratory disability, additional development is needed to obtain relevant service treatment records.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including a VA psychiatric examination to determine if PTSD is related to service and whether COPD and asthma are related to service under direct service connection analysis.

The Veteran's service connection claims for a heart disability and asthma have been denied. The rating for asthma has also been denied, with the effective date of the grant of service connection set at April 17, 2017.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for revision of the September 2008 rating decision based on CUE and entitlement to SMC based on housebound status due to procedural errors in the previous rating decisions.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's sinus infections and rhinitis, as well as any respiratory condition including asthma, COPD, or shortness of breath due to undiagnosed illness, are not service-connected. The case is being sent back for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for respiratory and gynecological disorders are being remanded due to inadequate opinions regarding the relationship between her conditions and military service.

The Veteran's headaches are service-connected due to an undiagnosed illness during his Southwest Asia service. However, the Veteran's pulmonary disability (asthma), sleep apnea, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus type II are not service-connected.

The Veteran's asthma has worsened since the last examination, and he wants his asbestos-related pleural plaques rated separately. The Board has ordered a new VA examination to assess these conditions.

The Veteran's respiratory disorder, including COPD and asthma, was not incurred or aggravated by service. The Board found that the evidence did not support a connection to herbicide exposure during service.