Asthma Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination regarding whether the Veteran's asthma disability is related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune or service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's sleep apnea and his service-connected postoperative deviated nasal septum with deformity, as well as his service-connected asthma. The Veteran is also seeking service connection for sleep apnea secondary to these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his active service, including as secondary to asthma and COPD. The decision grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's asthma is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of her service-connected asthma symptoms.,The Veteran's plantar fasciitis is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is related to service, including in-service foot pain conditions.,The Veteran's heat injury with residuals is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is related to service.

The Veteran's asthma is rated at 30% due to FEV-1 of 2.6 percent predicted and FEV-1/FVC of 99 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating. Service connection for sleep apnea is granted as it began during active service.

The Veteran's OSA is rated at 50 percent, and he is granted TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities. The decision also notes that a remand is required to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors regarding the bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has granted an effective date of October 26, 2016 for the assignment of a 30 percent disability rating for chronic sinusitis. The Veteran's claims for service connection for respiratory disabilities and bilateral tinea pedis are remanded due to incomplete information.

The Veteran's service connection for exercise-induced asthma has been granted, but his initial increased rating in excess of 30 percent for panic disorder and TDIU have been remanded.,The Board found that the evidence was at least in equipoise on whether the Veteran's current respiratory condition is related to service. However, it denied an increase in rating for panic disorder due to lack of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for sarcoidosis and asthma due to the Veteran's failure to report for VA examinations. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development, including scheduling a TERA examination.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected. The respiratory and stomach conditions, as well as bilateral hearing loss, are remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for asthma, sleep apnea, arthritis in the right hand, hearing loss, tinnitus, deformity of toenails, eczema, and painful scars on feet and legs are remanded due to missing military records. The Veteran may be entitled to presumptive service connection based on Persian Gulf War exposure.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected. The respiratory and stomach conditions, as well as bilateral hearing loss, are remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, right knee patellar enthesopathy, and asthma are all found to be related to service. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions. Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is remanded due to lack of a current diagnosis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma, finding that there is no factual basis in the record to link her current asthma to active military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including migraine headaches, exercise-induced asthma, lumbago with L3-L4 disc herniation, cervical spine strain post-fusion C5-C6 with disc bulging and stenosis, bilateral plantar fasciitis and calcaneal spurs left heel, noncompensable right ear hearing loss, prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to September 20, 2021. The Board granted the Veteran's claim for an extraschedular TDIU during this period.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bronchitis is denied as there is no evidence of a chronic disability manifested during or after service.,Service connection for vitamin deficiency is denied because it is not considered a compensable disability and the Veteran does not have an underlying condition.

The Veteran's asthma is granted service connection under the VA Interim Final Rule found at 86 Fed. Reg. 42724 (August 5, 2021), to be codified at 38 C.F.R. � 3.320, due to presumed exposure to burn pits during Southwest Asia service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the 50 percent rating of sinusitis is denied. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a factually ascertainable increase in disability within one year prior to her ITF, and thus, she is not entitled to an earlier effective date.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination to address the nature and etiology of asthma present during the claim period, including whether it is clear and unmistakable that the Veteran's asthma pre-existed active service or was aggravated by service.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection of Meniere's disease was denied. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for asthma due to exposure to poor quality air during service.