Asthma decisions — 2026

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for asthma and sleep apnea due to a lack of a VA examination, despite her service in Turkey. The Veteran seeks service connection based on Gulf War burn pit exposure, but there is no evidence of such exposure.

The Veteran's asthma with pulmonary fibrosis is rated at 30 percent, and he is granted TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for asthma as there is insufficient evidence in the record regarding the etiology of his condition. The VA examiner's opinion was based on an inaccurate factual premise and did not consider all relevant evidence, including post-service medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for asthma and GERD on a secondary basis to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. The decision also grants the Veteran's appeal of his previous denial.

The Veteran's service-connected bronchial asthma is found to have aggravated his pre-existing cardiovascular condition, contributing substantially and materially to his cause of death.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's current allergic rhinitis is related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating and earlier effective date for asthma is dismissed. The Board grants an effective date of August 7, 2024, but no earlier, for the award of service connection for bilateral dry eye syndrome.

The Board denied service connection for a respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus between current conditions and service.,Service connection was also denied for vertigo as secondary to tinnitus. The Veteran's contention of hospitalizations during service for pneumonia was found to be unsupported by STRs.

The Veteran's service-connected Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) and related respiratory disabilities have been granted, along with a TDIU based on his IBM.

The Board has determined that the claim for service connection for OSA should be remanded due to a duty-to-assist error and because of the need to obtain a medical opinion regarding the appellant's OSA, including whether it is related to his in-service toxic exposures.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Board also found that there is insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran's asthma is aggravated by his service-connected obstructive sleep apnea, and thus remanded this issue.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, finding that it is proximately due to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, respiratory condition (asthma), and neuromuscular condition (myopathy). The obesity resulting from these conditions was considered an intermediate step in causing the sleep apnea.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's earlier effective date and initial compensable disability rating claims for chronic bronchitis and asthma need to be remanded due to incomplete records and a missing retrospective opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for an adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood (psychiatric disability) and asthma with restrictive lung disease and chronic bronchitis (pulmonary disability), both of which are found to be caused by the service-connected tinnitus. The effective date is set at February 16, 2023.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for bronchitis with asthma is granted at a 60 percent level through December 26, 2023. The rating of 10 percent between December 27, 2023 and November 11, 2025 is denied. A higher rating since November 12, 2025 is also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's emergency care at John Muir Medical Center on November 13, 2018 was timely and necessary due to a prudent layperson standard. The closest VA facility was over an hour away by car, making JMMC feasibly available for emergency treatment. Therefore, payment is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on four different conditions (asthma, bronchitis, COPD, and a heart condition) have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for VR&E services as his vocational goal of becoming a scuba instructor was not reasonably feasible due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded several claims, including service connection for various conditions and an increased rating for right shoulder disability. The Veteran's appeal is currently under review.

The Veteran's appeal of his service connection claim for asthma has been withdrawn and the case is dismissed.