Sinusitis decisions — 2015

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sinusitis, cervical spine degenerative joint disease prior to August 12, 2009, and cervical spine degenerative joint disease from March 19, 2010. The remaining issues of service connection for thoracolumbar spine degenerative joint disease and increased ratings for cervical spine degenerative joint disease are also remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, headaches, meningitis, septicemia, and sinusitis. The evidence submitted was found to be cumulative or redundant and did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating any of these claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete information and need for further medical evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various musculoskeletal conditions have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sinusitis does not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent, as there are no more than six non-incapacitating episodes per year of sinusitis with symptoms including headaches, pain, purulent discharge, and crusting.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for sinusitis was denied. The April 7, 1971 rating decision denying service connection for a nasal disability is found to be correct based on the evidence then of record.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as there is no evidence showing a direct relationship between her current GERD and active service or her service-connected sinusitis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected conditions and determine if there are any new or material issues related to his claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for further development, including VA examinations.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim of service connection for leukemia. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, bilateral hip disability, and sinusitis. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or periods of ACDUTRA/INACDUTRA.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for sinusitis is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a scar of the right lower leg is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran incurred a scar during active duty and it is related to his in-service injury.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and higher ratings for his bilateral knee disorder, COPD, tinea pedis, sinusitis, and PTSD. The appeals were not about service connection at all.

The Board has combined the Veteran's spinal service connection claims as one for service connection for disability of the thoracolumbar spine. Further development is needed to determine if any current thoracic spine disability, diabetes, sinusitis, or varicose vein disability is related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board finds that he meets the schedular requirement for TDIU.

The Veteran's Meniere's syndrome is rated at 60 percent disabling, effective from the date of the decision. The Board found that her symptoms most closely approximated attacks of vertigo and cerebellar gait occurring one to four times a month.

The Veteran's current diagnosed bilateral shin splints are found to have their inception during service, and the Board grants entitlement to service connection for left and right leg shin splints.,For his recurrent sinusitis and seasonal allergic rhinitis, the Board finds that it is at least as likely as not that these conditions had their onset during active duty from June 2002 to June 2008.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a rhino-sinus disability, erectile dysfunction, and psychiatric disorder. The decision found no nexus between the current disabilities and service.