Chronic bronchitis decisions — 2021

The Veteran's sleep apnea with asthma and allergic bronchitis has been rated at 100 percent since April 5, 2016. The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms warranted this rating due to forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV-1) of less than 40 percent of predicted value.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic bronchitis and deviated septum, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for chronic bronchitis and reactive arthritis are both granted. The Board found that the Veteran's chronic bronchitis is related to his service-connected asthma, while the claim for reactive arthritis was denied due to lack of evidence linking it to service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for chronic bronchitis is dismissed.,The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for the grants of service connection for anxiety disorder and TDIU are denied.

The Veteran's chronic bronchitis with asthma has been rated at 60 percent since October 9, 2020. The appeal is denied as the symptoms do not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, but the remaining issues have been remanded due to new evidence and development needs.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding service connection for respiratory disorders. The Veteran's claim will be further evaluated with additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bronchitis, sinusitis, complete loss of sense of smell, periodontal disease, ABPA, and asthma have been dismissed as the claim for bronchitis was granted in a prior decision. The remaining claims are granted due to presumed exposure to particulate matter during service in Southwest Asia.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability was granted service connection. The right ear hearing loss, upper back, lower back, acid reflux (GERD), respiratory disability, and hemorrhoids were denied service connection. Service connection for the disabilities of the upper and lower extremities was also denied.

The Board has denied service connection for bronchitis and sarcoidosis, finding that the evidence does not support a relationship to service. The Veteran's claims of exposure to cleaning chemicals were not addressed as they are not part of the appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for lupus, fibromyalgia, visual disturbances, chronic respiratory problems, chronic fatigue syndrome, and Raynaud's syndrome due to in-service exposure or vaccinations. The VA must obtain additional medical opinions regarding these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development due to issues related to his lung cancer residuals and peripheral neuropathy.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding various service connection claims, including for bilateral hearing loss, left arm condition, lumbar strain, left knee condition, left ankle condition, plantar fasciitis, anxiety condition, migraine headaches, jaw condition, lung condition, bronchitis, pneumonia, cervical strain, right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, right arm condition, right wrist condition, left wrist condition, kidney stones, right hip condition, left hip condition, and right ankle condition. The appeals were dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for additional development to determine if his diagnosed respiratory disorders are related to service, including stress associated with in-service events.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error regarding the adequacy of the VA medical opinion obtained in April 2014. The appellant's claim for service connection for chronic bronchitis is now subject to further review.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of a respiratory disorder, specifically chronic bronchitis. The decision is based on the need for a VA examination and the availability of additional VA treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bronchitis was withdrawn. The Board granted service connection and a rating of 50% for sleep apnea, but no higher.

The Veteran withdrew from appeal the issues of service connection for folliculitis, cervical spine disability, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, bronchitis, and sinusitis.

The Veteran's service connection claims for obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, and asthma have been denied as there is no current diagnosis of COPD.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's respiratory disability, including his claimed asthma and other respiratory conditions. The case will be returned for further development.