Sinusitis decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic headaches is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The AOJ needs to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran’s headaches and his service-connected disabilities, including chronic sinusitis, sleep apnea, tinnitus, allergic rhinitis, or pain from other service-connected orthopedic conditions.

The Veteran's chronic sinusitis and rhinitis have been granted initial ratings, while the claim for aneurysms of the brain has been denied. The service connection claim for aneurysms of the brain is pending as there was no exposure basis provided.

The Board has recharacterized the issue on appeal as entitlement to service connection for allergic rhinitis claimed as sinusitis, secondary to the service-connected rhinoplasty.,Service connection is granted for allergic rhinitis (claimed as sinusitis) and denied for chronic sinusitis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sinusitis may be related to service, but more evidence is needed before a final decision can be made.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete development and lack of adequate medical opinions. The issues include frequent fevers, chills, and sweats; recurrent tonsillitis and pharyngitis; sleep apnea secondary to PTSD; hypogonadism secondary to left testicular varicocele; and a respiratory condition (including asthma, sinusitis, and rhinitis).

The Veteran's irritable bowel syndrome and sinusitis have been granted service connection. The Veteran's hypertension has been granted a compensable rating of 10 percent.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current disability for the conditions claimed, and any diagnosed disabilities are not related to service. The appellant's claims for residuals of an upper respiratory infection, sinusitis, and right ear hearing loss have been denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected sinusitis, finding that it is at least as likely as not aggravated by his sinusitis.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates are being remanded. The effective date for the award of service connection for anterior neck scar is set at September 15, 2011.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions for VA purposes and therefore, service connection is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU.

The Board has granted service connection for sinusitis and allergic rhinitis, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his in-service diagnoses and treatment.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to August 7, 2013, and SMC after that date due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of a VA examination and insufficient evidence. The Veteran is presumed exposed to herbicide agents, but his bronchiectasis is not presumptively related to such exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his headaches, finding that there were no characteristic prostrating attacks of headache pain. The Veteran's headaches are currently rated as noncompensable.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions of record are not adequate to decide the claims for service connection for sinusitis and allergic rhinitis. The duty to assist errors occurred in misidentifying the Veteran’s service periods and treatment records, and not obtaining an adequate VA examination.

The Veteran's chronic sinusitis is granted with a rating of 10 percent, effective from the period prior to July 30, 2016. The low back disability and radiculopathy are rated as appropriate based on their severity.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a sinus condition and entitlement to TDIU due to incomplete opinions from an examiner regarding causation and aggravation of his sinus conditions. The claims will be readjudicated after obtaining updated VA treatment records, additional development as needed, and new opinions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sinusitis, finding that it clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD rated at 50%, resulted in a combined rating of 90% from October 13, 2016 to October 13, 2017. The Board granted a TDIU rating for this period based on the severity and cumulative effect of his service-connected disabilities.