Chronic bronchitis Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, and therefore a total disability rating based on individual unemployability is denied.

The Veteran's headaches are granted service connection, with the Board finding that his headaches started during active duty and have persisted.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current diagnosis of hearing loss for VA purposes.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and ratings were dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal seeking service connection for bronchitis, hypertension, and a compensable rating for tinea pedis prior to the promulgation of a decision.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial disability rating for bronchitis was denied, and his claims for service connection for other conditions were also denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating for bronchitis.

The Board found that the Veteran's asthma attacks with chronic bronchitis improved to a point where she no longer met the criteria for a 30 percent rating, and thus reduced her disability rating from 30 percent to 10 percent effective February 1, 2021. The reduction was proper as there was material improvement under ordinary conditions of life.

The reduction of the disability rating for headaches from 50% to 30% is not proper and is void ab initio. Effective dates are denied for various service connection claims.,Multiple issues related to initial disability ratings, effective dates, and earlier effective dates for higher ratings are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic sinusitis and chronic bronchitis have been remanded due to the need for additional evidence and medical opinions.

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus, chronic bronchitis, and lumbosacral strain as there is no evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to address service connection and rating issues, including OSA, headaches, heart disability, GERD, right foot achilles disability, and hypertension.

The Veteran's claims for various conditions are denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or a relationship to service.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability evaluation for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied, and his claim for service connection for a respiratory condition is remanded due to the need for additional examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claim for separate compensable ratings for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic bronchitis, from August 8, 2023, is remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board cannot make a fully informed decision without the results of a December 2023 pulmonary function test performed at an Ardmore VA outpatient facility.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's earlier effective date and initial compensable disability rating claims for chronic bronchitis and asthma need to be remanded due to incomplete records and a missing retrospective opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for an adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood (psychiatric disability) and asthma with restrictive lung disease and chronic bronchitis (pulmonary disability), both of which are found to be caused by the service-connected tinnitus. The effective date is set at February 16, 2023.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for bronchitis with asthma is granted at a 60 percent level through December 26, 2023. The rating of 10 percent between December 27, 2023 and November 11, 2025 is denied. A higher rating since November 12, 2025 is also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bronchitis, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current condition and his military service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on four different conditions (asthma, bronchitis, COPD, and a heart condition) have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeal for initial compensable ratings for chronic bronchitis and eczema is being remanded due to the need for additional examination reports.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease, chronic bronchitis, and COPD is being remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The VA will need to clarify whether the Veteran had a heart murmur upon separation from active service and address all relevant evidence of record.