Asthma decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for asthma, IBS, CFS, heart condition, and headaches due to inadequate VA opinions and a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error. The Veteran is presumed to have been exposed to burn pits during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including asthma with obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder bursitis, tinnitus, left knee limitations, and right knee instability, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since May 17, 2018. His TDIU claim is granted.

The Veteran's asthma is found to have begun in service and has persisted since, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining military personnel records and medical records from his Air Force Reserve service, as well as a TERA examination for chronic bronchitis and asthma.

Your claims for service connection have been granted, but the VA will need to verify your military service and obtain any missing records before making a final determination.

The Board has granted service connection for Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected Asthma, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's gastric ulcer with erosive gastroduodenitis is granted an initial 20 percent rating.,Other service connection claims are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has dismissed the claims of service connection for bronchial asthma, left shoulder pain, degenerative arthritis of the spine (cervical spine degenerative joint disease with degenerative disc disease), and major depressive disorder due to a procedural defect in filing the Notice of Disagreement.

Service connection is granted for back condition and asthma.,The Veteran's right shoulder, bilateral knee, and headache conditions are remanded for further review.

The Veteran's asthma was diagnosed and began during his active service, and the Board granted service connection for this condition based on direct evidence of a link between service and the current disability.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is considered caused or aggravated by his service-connected conditions, including PTSD, migraine headaches, hypertension, right wrist sprain, left lower extremity radiculopathy, asthma, lumbar degenerative disc disease, GERD, and IBS.

The Veteran's claims for TDIU, DEA benefits, and SMC based on housebound status were denied as the evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 9, 2014.

The Veteran's asthma is granted as service connection due to exposure to burn pits and Persian Gulf War environmental hazards.,The Veteran's hypertension is remanded for further evaluation, including consideration of the synergistic effect of all TERAs.,The Veteran's IBS associated with exposure to Persian Gulf War environmental hazards is granted as service connection.,The Veteran's recurrent disability manifested by fatigue (claimed as chronic fatigue syndrome) is remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's asthma is granted on a direct basis, effective September 29, 2022. The claim for an earlier effective date for rhinitis is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion and need for further development of the record.

The Board has remanded the claims for tinnitus, COPD, asthma, and allergies due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The Veteran's service connection claims are being reviewed again as part of this process.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial compensable rating for various conditions have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating for restrictive lung disease, as his FEV-1 was within the range of 71 to 80 percent predicted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities, as well as asthma, are remanded due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the relationship between these conditions and his exposure to burn pits during service. The AOJ is instructed to obtain VA examinations and opinions addressing this issue.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in the pre-decisional duty to assist and requires additional medical opinions regarding service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board has granted service connection for asthma, finding that the Veteran's condition is presumed due to exposure to fine particulate matter during his service in Afghanistan. The claim is granted as it meets all necessary criteria under the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 3.320.