Asthma decisions — 2022

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current obstructive sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected asthma and COPD, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for respiratory conditions, including chronic cough, whooping cough, asthma, and chronic bronchitis due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of his current respiratory condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive and restrictive airway disease is denied as the condition is already service-connected.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma, secondary to his service-connected lung cancer with COPD, is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's current asthma was aggravated by his service-connected disability (lung cancer with COPD).,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bronchiolitis is remanded as additional development is needed.

The Veteran's asthma, allergic rhinitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are granted as they are presumed to be related to his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations. The lower back condition is remanded for further examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error in obtaining an adequate opinion regarding whether the Veteran's respiratory disability had its onset in service or is otherwise related to service. The claim will be reconsidered with this issue addressed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, hypertension, asthma, sleep apnea, bilateral upper extremity polyneuropathy, and bilateral lower extremity polyneuropathy have been granted. The appeals are remanded for additional development regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection of asthma and sleep apnea, as well as his claims for service connection of bilateral upper and lower extremity polyneuropathy.

The Board has granted service connection for sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and COPD, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active duty service due to exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the initial grant of service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) is denied. The Board found that the September 1997 claim did not reasonably encompass a claim for CAD, and therefore, VA did not receive a valid claim prior to August 31, 2010.

The Veteran's asthma was not noted at entry into service and had onset during service with continuity to the present. The Board granted his claim for service connection on a direct basis.

The Veteran's respiratory condition, including bronchitis, COPD, and/or asthma, is currently on appeal. The Board has remanded the case to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA medical professional regarding the likelihood of a connection between the Veteran's presumed exposure to toxic herbicides in service and his development of a respiratory condition.

The Veteran's claims for arthritis, hearing loss, hypertension, and asthma have been dismissed. The Board has remanded the remaining issues including service connection for left elbow, knee, hip conditions and secondary service connection for anxiety and depression.

The Board has granted service connection for OSA as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected asthma, finding that the aggravation of OSA by asthma is a valid claim.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the condition and service.,The Veteran's dental disability claim for treatment purposes is dismissed due to her total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's asthma clearly and unmistakably pre-existed service, and was not aggravated by active service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for asthma is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities precluded him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to June 25, 2014, for accrued benefits purposes. The decision grants entitlement to TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma, finding that there is not an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence to support a link between his current condition and service. The opinion from the June 2022 VA examiner was considered more probative than the Veteran's lay assertions.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for respiratory problems, to include asthma, needs further development due to lack of compliance with prior remand directives.

The Veteran's low back disability and chronic respiratory condition are now service connected. The neck condition is remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is related to the service-connected low back disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities other than major depressive disorder have not caused significant occupational impact which would warrant TDIU prior to September 16, 2019. From September 16, 2019, the grant of a 100 percent rating for major depressive disorder and assignment of SMC renders the issue of entitlement to TDIU moot.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma was denied. The effective dates of service connection for his acquired psychiatric disorder and psoriasis were also denied.,A compensable rating for psoriasis from September 14, 2007 to December 4, 2017, and in excess of 10 percent thereafter, was denied.