Asthma Board decisions

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims due to issues related to reopening service connection for various conditions, including hearing loss and cerebrovascular accident. The case must be reviewed de novo.

The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the July 1981 rating decision that denied service connection for asthma. The RO's decision was supported by the evidence then of record and consistent with applicable law and regulations.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability and asthma, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the veteran's active duty service. The claim for tinea pedis was granted with an initial noncompensable evaluation.,Service connection for a low back disability was not established as it is unrelated to service or his service-connected knee disabilities. Service connection for asthma was also denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for allergic rhinitis, effective from the date of the April 2005 VA examination. Service connection for bronchitis and asthma is also granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for special monthly pension for a surviving spouse based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to lack of recent medical records.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the Montgomery, Alabama RO. The issues include seeking an increased rating for low back disability and service connection for emphysema, asthma, and cardiovascular disease.

The veteran requested to withdraw his appeal, and the Board has dismissed it.

The Board has determined that a 10 percent disability rating for the service-connected asthma is warranted, effective from May 2001.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected bronchial asthma, right knee arthralgia, and instability in the right knee. The conditions are rated as 30 percent, 10 percent, and 10 percent disabling respectively under the applicable VA rating criteria.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination.

The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's asthma, currently rated at 30 percent. The VA found that the veteran's asthma results in intermittent exacerbations and remissions that respond well to treatment.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bronchial asthma is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board finds that the veteran's preexisting pectus excavatum did not increase in severity during service, and there is no competent medical evidence of a superimposed respiratory disorder. Therefore, the veteran's current respiratory disorder is not considered to be incurred or aggravated by service.

The veteran's migraine headaches, left foot fracture with metatarsal bone grafts, asthma, and hiatal hernia with gastritis are all rated at the maximum allowable under their respective diagnostic codes. The veteran does not meet criteria for a higher rating in any of these cases.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased disability rating for bronchial asthma and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The evidence did not support higher ratings or TDIU.

The Board found that the appellant does not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound due to her disabilities.

The Board has restored the veteran's 100% disability rating for asthma, effective February 1, 2003, as the reduction was improper and void ab initio.

The veteran's asthma was initially granted service connection and assigned a noncompensable evaluation effective from December 31, 1992. The RO later increased the rating to 10 percent effective from July 30, 2002, based on findings consistent with FEV-1 of 56 to 70 percent predicted and daily inhalational or oral bronchodilator therapy.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board denied service connection for bipolar disorder, COPD, asthma, and rhinitis. The veteran's current conditions are not related to her military service.