Sinusitis decisions — 2000

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection of sinusitis was not well-grounded and denied it.

The veteran's postoperative residuals of sinusitis with headaches are found to meet the criteria for a 30 percent evaluation, which is in excess of the current 10 percent rating.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and sinusitis, finding that new evidence submitted since the last denial is not sufficient to reopen the claims.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and a skin disorder were not well-grounded. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions are not well-grounded and have therefore been denied.

The Board has established service connection for hypertension, gastrointestinal disorder, rhinitis, rash, and PTSD. The veteran's claims are supported by medical records showing diagnoses in service and continuing symptoms post-service.

The Board has dismissed the veteran's appeal for service connection on all issues due to failure to file a timely and adequate substantive appeal.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well-grounded, and thus denied them. The claims for fatigue and headaches are considered well-grounded.

The veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant is denied because he does not meet the criteria for financial assistance in acquiring these benefits.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the veteran's death, as veterans' claims do not survive their deaths.

The Board found that the veteran's sinusitis was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to a lack of justiciable case or controversy. The veteran's service connection for sinusitis is moot as it remains in effect.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations, higher initial evaluations, and a total rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The partial loss of the skull was evaluated as 50 percent disabling since separation from active service, while the amputation of the right ring finger at the proximal interphalangeal joint remained at 10 percent. Chronic sinusitis and bilateral hearing loss were each rated at 10 percent. PTSD warranted a 30 percent evaluation. The veteran's unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was not established.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the increased rating of his service-connected sinusitis with rhinitis was denied by the Board. The decision states that the earliest correspondence referencing any claims is dated in February 1997 and does not mention a claim for an increased evaluation for sinusitis.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection are not well grounded and have been denied.

The Board granted separate 10 percent evaluations for tinnitus and residuals of a right knee injury with laxity of the lateral collateral ligament, effective from October 1, 1992. The veteran's claims for earlier effective dates were denied.

The veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for maxillary sinusitis was denied. The VA found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity and frequency of her symptoms.

The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for maxillary sinusitis, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under either the previous or amended VA regulations.

The veteran's claim for service connection for allergic rhinitis is well-grounded.,His claims for a respiratory condition and fatigue as chronic disabilities resulting from an undiagnosed illness are plausible, but not well grounded.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for bronchitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, allergic dermatitis, or endometriosis.