Asthma Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma, finding that his asthma did not preexist service and was unrelated to service. The Board also denied an increased rating for his service-connected neurodermatitis.,The Veteran sought a higher rating for his neurodermatitis, but the Board found that his condition affected less than 20% of his total or exposed body area and did not require systemic therapy.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and failure to address his lay statements. The claims are related to generalized joint pain, obstructive sleep apnea, a back condition, and a respiratory condition.

The Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for asthma and CAD are remanded due to the need for medical opinions regarding the causation of his conditions by VA treatment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, and the Board has remanded them to obtain additional information regarding his exposure to ionizing radiation during service. The VA will prepare a dose estimate based on available methodologies.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's respiratory disorder and service, including his in-service exposure to dust and jet fuel.

An initial rating of 10 percent, and no higher, prior to September 28, 2015 for bilateral hearing loss is granted.,An initial compensable rating since September 28, 2015 for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, right ear hearing loss, and asthma are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examinations.

Service connection for prostate disability, stomach disability (including ulcers and GERD), lung disability (including COPD and asthma), and skin cancer is denied. The Veteran's lung disability and skin cancer are remanded for further review.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee injury, left foot disability, respiratory disability (asthma and obstructive sleep apnea), and ulcerative colitis. The Veteran's conditions are deemed to have started during his military service.

The Board has determined that further assistance is needed to obtain the Veteran's service treatment records and to provide her with a VA examination regarding her asthma, right shoulder disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and bilateral plantar fasciitis. The claims are being remanded for these purposes.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for PTSD and a higher initial rating for asthma. The remaining issues of service connection for various conditions, including right knee disorder, left arm disorder, right leg numbness, left leg numbness, depressive disorder, lumbar myositis (lumbar spine disability), left knee disability, migraine headaches, chronic gastritis, and left foot degenerative arthritis are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's back condition, bilateral foot conditions (pes planus and plantar fasciitis), and asthma have been granted service connection.,Additional claims for generalized arthritis and acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded.

The Board has ordered a new VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's asthma was caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities. The current opinions are insufficient and do not address the Veteran's lay contentions.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted, as his service-connected disabilities make him unemployable.,Claims for earlier effective dates for left lower extremity radiculopathy and hypertension are denied.

The Veteran's service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted as it was caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD. The issues of service connection for respiratory condition and left fibula fracture are remanded.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions are granted, including sleep apnea, heart disorder, hypertension, left hip disability, low back disability, and tinnitus. The Board finds the evidence in relative equipoise regarding these claims.,However, several new issues of entitlement to service connection have been identified, such as chest pain, dyspnea, right foot stress fracture, right hip disability, osteoporosis, right shoulder disability, tremors, asthma, blepharitis, lipoma of the chest, and kidney stones. These claims are currently pending for further review.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, heart disability, kidney disability, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, hyperlipoproteinemia, prostate disability, sinus disability, scotoma, and respiratory disorder are all remanded for further development.,Service connection is being remanded for the Veteran's heart disability, kidney disability, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, hypertension, hyperlipoproteinemia, prostate disability (benign prostatic hypertrophy), sinus disability (allergic rhinitis), scotoma, and respiratory disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD with asthmatic bronchitis, finding that the Veteran's exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station while in service is at least as likely as not related to his current condition.

The Veteran's appeal for TDIU has been remanded due to the need for further development. The appeal seeking to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension is dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his request prior to the Board's decision.

The Board has granted service connection for bronchial asthma on a presumptive basis due to exposure to burn pits during service in Southwest Asia. The claim for reopening the skin disability was not granted as new and material evidence was not received.