Sinusitis decisions — 2012

The Board has granted service connection for various conditions including bilateral foot disabilities, left and right hip/knee disabilities, rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, residuals of a nasal fracture (including deviated septum), sleep apnea, and chronic folliculitis. The Veteran's hearing loss is also service connected.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, including those related to his cervical and lumbar spine conditions. The appeals were based on direct evidence rather than a presumption or secondary service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for sinusitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and joint pain. Sinusitis is found to be related to service. Chronic fatigue syndrome and joint pain are not found to be related to service.

The Veteran's sinusitis and deviated nasal septum were not found to be related to service, resulting in a denial of the claims.

The Board denied service connection for chronic sinusitis and arrhythmia (mitral valve prolapse) as the evidence did not show a current disability or continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cataracts, finding no competent evidence to show that his post-service cataracts began during active service or were related to any incident of service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of allergic rhinitis or chronic sinusitis, and there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The Veteran's deviated nasal septum was established during active duty.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for sinusitis and granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus. No new evidence was presented to support other conditions.

The Board denied reopening of service connection for bilateral pes planus, chronic sinusitis with headaches and recurrent nose bleeds. The claims were reopened but denied on the merits.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, asthma, and chronic sinusitis. The evidence did not establish a current disability or link to service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting any of her requested increases or establishing service connection for a cervical spine disability.

The Veteran's sinusitis was found to be chronic in service and is considered a manifestation of the same disorder diagnosed after service. Service connection for sinusitis has been granted. The initial rating for serous otitis media with perforated eardrum of the right ear remains at zero percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including gathering of outstanding VA treatment records and scheduling of examinations to determine the current severity of her service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected sinusitis is granted as it is proximately due to his service-connected deviated septum.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to the need for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's preexisting allergies and/or sinus problems were permanently worsened by his service.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support a finding that the Veteran's sinusitis or any other sinus disability had its clinical onset in service or is otherwise related to active service. As such, the claim for service connection for sinusitis and any other sinus disability is denied.

The Veteran's sinusitis with sinus headaches is currently manifested by evidence of radical surgery and near constant symptoms, resulting in a disability rating of 50 percent.

The Veteran's sinusitis has been rated at 10 percent since July 31, 2006. The Board has determined that the evidence supports a higher rating of 50 percent for sinusitis due to near constant symptoms including headaches and purulent discharge.

The Veteran's service-connected low back strain, joint pain due to an undiagnosed illness affecting the right ankle, left hip, and both shoulders, and sinusitis with headaches and blurred vision are all rated at their maximum disability levels of 20 percent.

The Board found that the Veteran did not timely file a substantive appeal for his claims regarding lumbar spine disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder (including depression), eye disorder, gastrointestinal disorder, foot and leg disorder, sinusitis, left ankle scar, and tendonitis of the left leg and foot. As such, these issues are denied.