Asthma decisions — 2022

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient development regarding the Veteran's exposure to asbestos in service and the impact of that exposure on his pre-existing asthma.

The Veteran's service-connected respiratory disorder, including diagnosed asthma and obstructive sleep apnea, is granted. The claim for ED secondary to service-connected disabilities remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been withdrawn. The claim to reopen a respiratory disorder has been granted, but the Board finds that a remand is necessary to obtain a proper medical opinion regarding the etiology of his respiratory disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to procedural issues, lack of adequate medical opinions, and need for further development.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for asthma has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal. The Board has remanded several other issues related to various disorders, including headaches, bilateral eye disorder, chronic sinusitis, skin disorder, neck disorder, upper back muscular disorder, left elbow disorder, left wrist disorder, right wrist disorder, left hand disorder, right hand disorder, left hip disorder, right hip disorder, left leg shin splints, right leg shin splints, and left foot disorder. The Veteran's service connection claims for PTSD, sleep apnea, tinnitus, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, left knee patellar chondromalacia, and right knee patellar chondromalacia have also been remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for asthma and bilateral hearing loss have been dismissed due to the appellant's withdrawal of her appeal.

The Veteran's back disability is being remanded for further examination and opinion to determine if it is related to her service-connected asthma or directly related to service. The examiner will also assess whether the current back condition was caused by a violent cough from an asthma flare-up in December 2012.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical examination and needs further evidence regarding the Veteran's COPD and asthma.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for obstructive sleep apnea and bilateral plantar fasciitis (claimed as bilateral pes planus) has been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeals.

The Veteran's OSA and asthma disabilities are being granted service connection, but the issues of service connection for insomnia disability remain pending due to a remand.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory condition, including bronchiectasis, asthma, and COPD, finding that there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including a new VA examination for the Veteran's low back disability and service connection claims for psychiatric disorders, elbow, wrist, hand, and respiratory disabilities. The Veteran is seeking higher ratings for his low back disability and service connection for various conditions.

The Veteran's asthma was granted service connection due to a qualifying chronic disability (asthma) that became manifest within 10 years of his separation from service. Service connection for the thoracolumbar spine disability was denied as there is no evidence of such condition during or within one year after service discharge, and the Board found insufficient evidence linking it to service.

The Board has granted direct service connection for the Veteran's asthma, finding that it is at least as likely as not caused by an in-service exposure to burn pits and other particulates during deployment to Iraq.

The Board granted service connection for asthma, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to her active service and aggravated by it. The claim was reopened due to new evidence submitted since the final August 1996 decision.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for asthma and tinnitus due to missing records from the Veteran's Air Force Reserve service, inadequate opinion in the original decision, and need for further development.

The Veteran's recurrent UTIs with urinary incontinence are rated at the maximum schedular rating of 60 percent. The claim for service connection for OSA as secondary to service-connected recurrent UTIs with urinary incontinence is granted, while other claims remain denied.

The Board denied service connection for right upper, left upper, right lower, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as well as asthma, Bell's palsy, and myelitis. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or related to the Veteran's military service.,There was no medical documentation of any of these conditions during service, nor did they develop within one year post-service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma, finding that there was no evidence of a disease or injury in service indicative of asthma and that the current diagnosis is not related to service. The Board also found that the presumptive service connection criteria were not met due to the lack of exposure to fine particulate matter during service.

The Board has found that there was not substantial compliance with its prior remand directives and has ordered another remand to obtain the Veteran's private treatment records for PTSD and Asthma evaluations.