Sinusitis decisions — 2005

The Board denied the veteran's earlier effective date claim for service connection for limitation of motion of the mandible. The RO granted service connection and initial ratings for sinusitis, headaches, and chondromalacia of the left knee on April 30, 1996, which is considered the effective date.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tinea pedis, sleep apnea, GERD, and sinusitis, finding that these conditions were not incurred in or related to his military service.

The veteran's sinusitis and residuals of septoplasty are currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeal, and the Board does not have jurisdiction to review it.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The appeals are all based on reopening of previously denied claims, and the issues involve new evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for sinusitis and service connection for hypertension. The veteran was found not to have established that his current conditions are related to military service.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to new and material evidence. The case is remanded for additional development, including obtaining an autopsy report.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection are granted, with diagnoses of various conditions and a finding of direct service connection. The veteran is not entitled to service connection based on exposure to herbicides or other presumptive conditions.

The veteran's sleep disorder and pulmonary tuberculosis are not service-connected. His sinusitis with allergic rhinitis is established as incurred during active duty.

The case is being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the veteran's respiratory disorders, including sinusitis and allergic rhinitis. The examiner should determine if these conditions are likely related to military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The veteran's claims of service connection for sinusitis, spondylolisthesis of the lower back, and hernia or residuals thereof are pending.

The veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis and sinusitis with dermatitis are currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board finds that this rating is not supported by the evidence of record. The veteran's symptoms do not warrant a higher evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left shoulder disorder, sinusitis and headaches, and bilateral defective hearing are all related to his service. The claims for these conditions have been granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected perforation of the right maxillary sinus with sinusitis warrants a 30 percent disability rating, effective as of when this decision is issued.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for reactive airway disease and an initial compensable evaluation for sinusitis, finding no evidence of a causal relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his claimed conditions are not related to active service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of sinusitis, and there is no evidence linking any current sinus problems to service. The claims for service connection are therefore denied.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral fallen arches and sinusitis, and did not establish a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis. The initial ratings for right and left patellofemoral syndromes remain unchanged.

The Board has granted service connection for the appellant's acquired psychiatric disorder, which is considered to have been aggravated by military service. The other issues of service connection for residuals of a nasal fracture, sinusitis, and headaches are not addressed as they were remanded.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA Persian Gulf examination reports and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to his service-connected bronchitis with reactive airway disease or sinusitis with allergic rhinitis.