Asthma decisions — 2026

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected sleep apnea with asthma was denied as the current 50 percent rating adequately reflects the severity of his condition, which includes use of a CPAP machine and intermittent inhalational anti-inflammatory medication.

The appeal of the claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed.,Service connection for hypertension and OSA are granted, with secondary service connection for insomnia disorder as secondary to OSA also being granted.,Service connection for rhinitis, sinusitis, cholecystectomy (gallbladder condition), nephrolithiasis (kidney stones), and a respiratory disability (including asthma and dyspnea) is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches, combined with other disabilities, meet the criteria for a TDIU rating and SMC at the housebound rate.

The Board has determined that the VA examination and medical opinion provided were inadequate, and thus remanding the case for a new examination and medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's asthma is related to service.

The Veteran's asthma and ethmoid sinusitis claims are remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional evidence, including obtaining relevant Community Care treatment records and a further VA examination with pulmonary function testing.

The Veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to her service-connected disabilities, and the Board has granted TDIU with an effective date of November 30, 2009.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed for his claim of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea. The Board found that the issue had been resolved by a prior rating decision granting service connection and assigning a 50% disability rating.

The Veteran's claim for SMC is granted, effective February 1, 2021. The decision is based on the combination of his service-connected PTSD and other disabilities that independently rate at least 60 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an effective date prior to August 10, 2022, for service connection of asthma due to lack of competent medical nexus evidence and because asthma is presumed associated with exposure to burn pits under the PACT Act.

The Veteran's appeals for higher disability ratings and earlier effective dates for his service-connected exercise induced asthma, as well as an appeal for a prior effective date for PTSD, have been dismissed due to the untimeliness of the Notice of Disagreement (NOD).

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 5, 2025, for the grant of service connection for asthma is denied. The effective date will be fixed in accordance with the date of receipt of the initial claim or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later.

The Veteran's sinusitis is currently rated at 30 percent, effective October 15, 2013.,The Veteran's asthma is currently rated at 30 percent, effective September 27, 2016.

The appeal for a higher rating for PTSD and related conditions is being remanded due to the need for further medical evaluation. The Veteran's service connection claims for TBI residuals, OSA, and cardiovascular disabilities are also being remanded.

The Veteran's appeal of his claims for service connection for various conditions has been withdrawn by the Veteran. As a result, all these claims are dismissed.

The Veteran's asthma was granted an initial rating of 10 percent prior to June 12, 2024. The appeal for a higher rating is denied. The Veteran's degenerative joint disease (left knee) and right knee are each rated at 10 percent. The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent. TDIU based solely on service-connected PTSD is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected asthma and somatic symptom disorder, finding that his conditions aggravated each other.

The Veteran is granted an initial evaluation of 100 percent for COPD and associated conditions, including chronic pulmonary hypertension, from the date she filed her claim in April 2018.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to insufficient evidence of a current disability in some cases and the need for further medical evaluation in others.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tennis elbow, lateral epicondylitis of the right arm is denied as there is no current diagnosed disability.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable (greater than 0) disability rating for asthma is denied due to lack of required medical criteria being met.,The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating for cervical strain in excess of 10 percent is denied based on the range of motion results not meeting higher ratings.,The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating for thoracic strain in excess of 10 percent is denied due to lack of required medical criteria being met.