Sinusitis decisions — 2008

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions are denied as they are not related to his military service or due to an undiagnosed illness experienced during the Persian Gulf War.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic sinusitis and denied service connection for right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right knee disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection and compensation for various conditions, including a head injury laceration scar, left ankle disability, bilateral shoulder disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, depression, dehydration, hepatitis B exposure, heart condition, hypertension, chronic respiratory disorder, sinusitis, and post-operative deviated nasal septum.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for clarification of representation, additional evidence collection, and a gynecological examination.

The veteran withdrew her appeal on the claims of service connection for sinusitis, allergic rhinitis and major depressive disorder, as well as a higher initial evaluation for bladder incontinency and urgency.

The Board has decided to remand the veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis and depression due to incomplete medical records, lack of Social Security Administration records, and need for additional examination.

The veteran is seeking service connection for sleep apnea that may be secondary to his service-connected deviated nasal septum, allergic rhinitis, and sinusitis. The case is being remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between these conditions.

The Board granted a 30% rating for the veteran's sinusitis, finding that his disability manifested by more than six non-incapacitating episodes of sinusitis per year with headaches, pain and purulent discharge without chronic osteomyelitis.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen several of his claims. The right knee disability was found to be incurred in active service.

The Board found that the reduction in evaluation from 30 percent to 10 percent for service connected chronic sinusitis, effective September 1, 2006, was proper based on sustained improvement over time.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected sinusitis warranted a rating of 30 percent, which is the highest available under Diagnostic Code 6513. The issue of service connection for bronchitis was also granted.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain information from SSA regarding disability benefits and to readjudicate the issues of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a nasal obstruction with septal deviation and his claim of entitlement to service connection for chronic sinusitis.

The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for rhinosinusitis, which is the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Codes 6510 and 6522. The veteran's cervical spine disorder was not addressed in this decision.

The Board has granted service connection for thoracic plexus intercostal neuritis with disc bulge and chronic sinusitis, both found to be incurred in active service. An effective date of May 16, 2007, is assigned for a 10 percent rating for bilateral toe disability.

The veteran's sinusitis is currently evaluated at 50 percent, the highest schedular rating available.,The claim for service connection for migraine headaches has not been reopened.

The Board has granted service connection for headaches, but denied service connection for chronic sinusitis.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination to determine if he suffers from a 'loss of use' of one or both lower extremities, which could affect his eligibility for specially adapted housing and adaptive equipment benefits. The RO/AMC will then readjudicate the claims based on this new information.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation or service connection.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding that they were not incurred or aggravated by military service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings on appeal are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing notification letters in compliance with VCAA requirements.