Sinusitis decisions — 2012

The Veteran's appeal involves claims for increased ratings and service connection. The issues include a request to increase the rating for postoperative residuals of plantar fasciitis in his left foot, chronic frontal sinusitis, and right foot plantar fasciitis as secondary to the left foot condition.

The Board has granted service connection for a traumatic deviated nasal septum, which is considered a residual of an in-service nasal fracture. The Veteran's right and left ear hearing loss disabilities are not currently addressed as they were not specified in the original appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current sinusitis is a result of a disease in active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing service treatment records and a need for further medical examination. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered based on the additional evidence.

The Veteran's TMJ dysfunction is found to be related to his military service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The issue of an initial compensable rating for sinusitis remains pending.

The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection as it manifested within a year of her separation from active duty. The Board found that asthma, plantar fasciitis, right foot, bilateral ankle arthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome are secondary to her service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Veteran's sinusitis with residuals of sinus surgery is now rated at the maximum schedular evaluation (50%) effective December 2, 2011. The other issues remain denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for scheduling a Travel Board hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the earliest opportunity.

The Board has granted service connection for sinusitis with vertigo and headaches, finding that the Veteran's preexisting conditions were aggravated during his active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn regarding the issue of dental disorder. The Board finds that multiple joint and muscle pain, urethritis, prostatitis, chronic sinusitis, conjunctivitis, dry eye syndrome, night sweats (due to Reiter's syndrome or sarcoidosis), respiratory problems (sarcoidosis), blood in stools/hemorrhoids, and short term memory loss are all part of his service-connected Reiter's syndrome. The Veteran's right heel spur residuals do not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation. His sarcoidosis does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that service connection is warranted for sinusitis, right shoulder capsulitis, and cervical spine/neck spondylosis.

The Veteran withdrew her appeal regarding the issues of service connection for sinusitis, bilateral ankle sprain and thoracolumbar spine strain.

The Veteran's sinusitis was productive of one or two incapacitating episodes per year requiring prolonged antibiotic treatment, or more than six non-incapacitating episodes characterized by headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting from January 22, 2003 to March 8, 2012. For the period from March 8, 2012, he had three or more incapacitating episodes requiring prolonged antibiotic treatment.

The Board denied service connection for herpes, verruca vulgaris, shin splints, tinea vesicular, sinusitis, respiratory condition/rhinitis, seasonal rhinitis, bronchitis, headaches and venereal warts due to lack of evidence supporting these conditions during active duty.

The Veteran's combined rating for service-connected disabilities is 100%, which meets the criteria for a TDIU rating. The evidence shows that his service-connected conditions have prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found that the Veteran's sinus condition did not meet the criteria for service connection as there was no evidence of a current disability, and the preponderance of the evidence indicated that his sinusitis is unrelated to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU and DEA eligibility during the period from March 28, 2004 to March 27, 2005 was denied as he had marginal employment.

The Veteran's lung disorder, including chronic bronchitis and obstructive sleep apnea, is being remanded for further examination to determine its relationship to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis, chronic hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to diabetes mellitus have all been denied. The Board found no current diagnosis of sinusitis or any other chronic sinus disability during the appeal period. It also determined that there was no medical evidence linking the Veteran's hypertension and erectile dysfunction to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The Board found no evidence of chronic sinusitis or chronic fatigue syndrome, and the left shoulder strain was not shown to be related to service-connected conditions.