Asthma Board decisions

The Board granted service connection for bronchial asthma and assigned a 10 percent disability evaluation effective March 22, 1993. The veteran also argued for an earlier effective date of his claim but the Board found no basis to grant this request.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for additional development of evidence, including obtaining VA examination reports and normal ranges of motion of the lumbosacral spine.

The Board has granted service connection for steroid dependence and found the veteran's claim of secondary service connection for anemia with fatigue well grounded. The remaining issues of secondary service connection will be addressed by the RO.

The Board has determined that the appellant's solar keratoses (pre-cancerous) of the forehead and scalp, excessive tooth loss with bone loss, and fragile skin with excessive bruising are related to service exposure to ionizing radiation. The claims for these conditions have been granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's asthma claim is not well grounded, and his neck disorder claim was denied in a final decision. The new evidence submitted to reopen his neck disorder claim supports service connection for this condition. His allergic rhinitis and left foot laceration claims are both found to be well grounded.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for COPD and asthma due to new evidence submitted since the June 1990 rating decision. However, the claim remains well grounded as there is no direct or presumptive evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's back disability is service-connected and has granted his claim. For his bronchial asthma, the RO should consider both pre-October 1996 and post-October 1996 criteria for evaluation.

The VA determined that the veteran's bronchial asthma does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 30 percent, based on current medical evidence and revised rating criteria.

The veteran's asthma and asthmatic bronchitis are productive of no more than moderate dyspnea, with FEV-1 between 40 to 55 percent from November 3, 1997 to May 19, 1998. The Board finds a 60% rating is warranted for this period.

The Board finds that the veteran's claim of service connection for asthma is well-grounded and grants it. The issue of the propriety of the initial 10 percent rating for epididymitis is also considered, with a request to obtain further medical opinions as needed.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for prostate disorder and asthma were not well-grounded, as there was no medical evidence of current disabilities. The exposure to herbicides claim is also denied due to lack of a service-connected condition.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected psychophysiologic reaction of the respiratory system and bronchial asthma was denied due to his failure to cooperate with a scheduled VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for PTB, asthma, beriberi, and dysentery as the appellant did not present sufficient medical evidence to support these claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, as well as finding that his asthma claim was not well-grounded.

The Board finds that the appellant has submitted evidence suggesting that his bronchial asthma, which preexisted service, was aggravated by military service. The claim is well grounded.

The Board found that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for asthma, which was previously denied in April 1985. The claim is now considered based on all available evidence.

The Board previously denied service connection for asthma, and the Court has ordered remand due to inadequacy of the examination and lack of discussion on additional service records.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between mustard gas exposure or tobacco use during service and his lung conditions.

The veteran's asthma is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence provided.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for multiple conditions, including a shrapnel wound to the right leg, pulmonary tuberculosis, peptic ulcer disease, nephritis, rheumatoid arthritis, poor visual acuity, hearing loss, beriberi with neuritis, and nutritional deficiency. The decision also addressed the veteran's claim for former prisoner of war (POW) status for VA benefits.