Sinusitis decisions — 2011

The Veteran's claim for an increased initial evaluation for postoperative rhinosinusitis with Eustachian tube dysfunction is being remanded due to the need for a new examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected condition.

The Veteran's service-connected sinusitis is not manifested by incapacitating episodes requiring prolonged antibiotic treatment, non-incapacitating episodes characterized by headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting, or radical sinus surgery. The available schedular evaluation for the Veteran's service-connected sinusitis disability is adequate.

The Board has dismissed the claims of service connection for sinusitis, upper respiratory infection, kidney stones, and impotency due to withdrawal by the Veteran. The claim of service connection for prostatitis and new and material evidence claim for chloracne are remanded.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for pulmonary emphysema, residuals of cerebral concussion, sinusitis, and low back disability based on new evidence. The claims are being remanded to determine if these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the current severity of her service-connected vasomotor rhinitis and sinusitis with headaches.

The Veteran's psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorder, dysthymia with pseudodementia, and primary insomnia, are found to have onset during her active service.

The Board denied service connection for a sinus condition and sinusitis, finding that there was no evidence of any chronic disability related to the conditions in service records or following service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic sinusitis and found that new evidence supports this. However, it was unable to establish a current diagnosis of chronic sinusitis or find any nexus between his in-service symptoms and his current condition.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for chronic sinusitis since November 14, 2007. The Veteran's claims for service connection of COPD and asthma have been denied, as well as his claim for an increased initial evaluation for chronic sinusitis.

The Veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis and sinusitis warrant a 30 percent rating since May 4, 2011. The Veteran's service-connected bilateral varicose veins warrant a compensable (10%) rating.

The Board has reviewed the Veteran's claims and determined that new evidence received since the prior denial does not establish service connection for any of his claimed conditions. The evidence is insufficient to support a finding of an undiagnosed illness or chronic multisymptom illness.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, which include nephropexy and ligation of the right renal artery, residuals of a right third finger fracture, sinusitis, residual scar on the right flank, and right ear otitis media, are rated at 70 percent combined. The Board finds that these conditions do not render him unemployable.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded to obtain additional service treatment records and to attempt to secure private medical records from Dr. B.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for chronic sinusitis, finding that it began during his first period of active duty and continued since then.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling of VA examinations to evaluate his lumbar spine degenerative joint disease, anxiety disorder, sinusitis, and allergic rhinitis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied, and the Board found that there was no new and material evidence to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for peripheral neuropathy. The effective date for the grant of a 10 percent rating for a painful right ankle scar is October 17, 1994.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the left shoulder, right ankle and sinusitis were denied as there is no evidence of current disability or in-service incurrence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current frontal sinusitis was not present in service and is not causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident in service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for frontal sinusitis has been denied.

The Veteran's initial claims for higher evaluations were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of entitlement to any higher ratings.,Service connection was established, but no higher initial evaluations could be granted as the evidence did not meet the criteria for such.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right and left knee limitations, tinnitus, sinusitis, degenerative joint disease, hearing loss, and malaria, do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.