Sinusitis decisions — 2000

The Board denied service connection for a heart disorder and found that the veteran's COPD with asthma warranted a 30% rating from March 15, 1995. The effective date of this award was not specified.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder disability, asthma, and chronic sinusitis. The rating assigned for right shoulder disability is 20 percent. Service connection for migraine headaches and organic disability manifested by chronic abdominal pain remains in controversy.

The veteran's anxiety neurosis is rated at 50 percent, his bronchitis remains at 0 percent, and his sinusitis is rated at 10 percent from October 1994 to October 1996. The veteran's total rating based on individual unemployability claim was denied.

The veteran's memory loss and attention problems, skin disorders, swollen lymph nodes, hair loss, fatigue, and joint pain are all found to be related to an undiagnosed illness during his Gulf War service.

The veteran's chronic vasomotor rhinitis with sinusitis and nasal polyposis is currently rated at 30 percent, effective from September 1993. The left ankle strain with arthritic changes was increased to 20 percent from June 18, 1998.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disorder, gastroenteritis, rhinorrhea, and sinusitis are not well grounded. The claim of entitlement to reopen a low back disorder is denied as new and material evidence was not presented.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The claims for residual scars from removal of cysts, headaches, sinusitis, and bronchitis are denied as not well grounded.

The Board found that the appellant's sinusitis did not meet the criteria for an increased rating, and denied his claim for a total disability evaluation due to individual unemployability.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for sinusitis, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted to support the claim.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for migraine headaches, finding that the veteran's headaches occur one to three times weekly and are characterized by brief neurologic deficits. The claim for service connection for sinus/rhinitis disorder and residual disability due to nasal surgery is denied as not well-grounded, and the claim for service connection for a back disability is also denied as not well-grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for a pulmonary disorder, skin condition, sinusitis, and headaches are not well grounded. The claim for sleep apnea is granted as it was incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims for service connection for a circulation disorder, hearing loss, left ear, a bladder disorder, a low back disorder, chronic sinusitis, and otitis media, left ear are not well grounded. The claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder is granted as it was established during active duty.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for chronic sinusitis and for increased ratings for anesthesia of the left inferior nerve with chronic facial pain (cephalalgia) at the left zygomatic arch and a surgical repair site for a left oral antral fistula, as well as for depressive disorder. The evidence did not support current diagnoses or show that these conditions were related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a lung disorder secondary to mustard gas exposure and an increased evaluation for chronic maxillary sinusitis, finding no evidence of full-body exposure to mustard gas in service or any current disability related to such exposure. The claim for increased rating for chronic maxillary sinusitis was also denied as there is no objective evidence supporting the diagnosis.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent disabling, and his chronic sinusitis remains at a 10 percent rating. The VA has granted increased evaluations for both conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various service-connected disabilities, finding that his claims were not well-grounded and thus did not meet the initial burden of proof.

The Board denied service connection for undiagnosed illnesses manifested by headaches, neuropsychological signs or symptoms including memory loss, fatigue, and sleep problems, joint pain, flu-like symptoms, sinusitis, and skin rash. The decision is considered final as the evidence did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The veteran's appeal was denied on all issues related to his service-connected conditions, with the exception of a denial for an increased rating for dysthymic disorder. The RO found that the veteran's dysthymic disorder did not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied increased ratings for sinusitis, residuals of right septoplasty, and postoperative supratrochlear traumatic neuralgia as the evidence did not show an increase in disability warranting a higher rating.

The veteran's service-connected defective hearing and vasomotor rhinitis are currently evaluated at the noncompensable level. The Board finds no basis for an increased evaluation as his current manifestations do not warrant a higher rating under either the old or new schedular criteria.