Asthma Board decisions

The Veteran's death was caused by cardiac arrest due to respiratory failure, myocardial infarction and colon cancer. The VA physician is requested to determine if his service-connected bronchial asthma contributed to or hastened the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records from Klamath Falls and readjudicating the issues on service connection.

The Veteran's original claim for service connection for asthma and bronchitis was denied in September 1972 due to a pre-existing condition. The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been presented, thus the claim remains denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma, emphysema, and COPD. The evidence presented since the last denial shows that these conditions may have preexisted service but were aggravated by active duty. However, there is no clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut this presumption of aggravation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of clear and unmistakable error in various rating decisions are mixed, with some issues being granted and others denied. The Veteran is seeking service connection for a variety of conditions including flatfeet/pes planus, neck muscle strain, wrist disorders, arthritis, cervical spine disorder, carpal tunnel syndrome, peripheral vascular disease, asthma, rhinitis, sleep apnea, conjunctivitis, hyperlipidemia, and sinusitis.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be incurred during active duty service, and his asthma is not attributable to active military service.

Service connection for frostbite injury of the left and right feet was granted with an initial disability rating of 30 percent effective September 15, 2000.

The Veteran is not rendered unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment as a result of her service-connected disabilities, and the Board finds that the criteria for TDIU have not been met for any period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including tinea pedis, refractive error of the eyes, dislocated thumbs, depression/psychiatric disorder, asthma, and a back disorder are mixed. The evidence presented since final decisions is considered new and material in some cases but not others.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, diagnosed as COPD, emphysema, and asthma, is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of records.

The Veteran's asthma has increased in severity since the removal of Singulair from his medication list. The VA is remanding the case for a new examination to determine the current disability level and for obtaining private medical treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bronchitis with asthmatic attacks and hypertension was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on current disability, as there is no objective evidence of current chest pain or a disability related to her claimed chest pain apart from already service-connected conditions. For her hypertension, the 10% evaluation assigned was deemed appropriate given the Veteran's history and current findings.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA audiology records and a pulmonary examination to determine if his asthma was aggravated by service.

The Veteran's bronchial asthma is found to be related to his active service, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's asthma is related to his active duty service and has been granted service connection. The Board finds that further examination is needed to determine the relationship between his sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, type II, and his service-connected asthma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current sinusitis or asthma, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's COPD with an asthmatic component is granted as service connected, based on the evidence showing a current disability that had its onset during his active duty.

The Board denied service connection for a respiratory disorder, including asthma and COPD with complications due to medication, finding that the Veteran's pre-existing conditions were not aggravated by his military service.

The Board granted the petition to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for increased evaluations for asthma. The RO continued a 10 percent disability rating for asthma from August 27, 2008 onwards but denied reopening of the hearing loss claim and granting an increase in rating prior to that date.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for bronchial asthma due to inadequate medical opinion and incomplete development of records. The Veteran contends that his current condition is related to in-service treatment, but a VA examiner did not consider this relevant finding.