Sinusitis decisions — 2022

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for right maxillary sinusitis, rated at zero percent prior to November 28th, 2018, and at 30 percent thereafter, has been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for blepharitis has been denied. The evidence did not show incapacitating episodes or visual field defects due to the service-connected condition.

The Board has denied service connection for tinnitus. The remaining issues have been remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for headaches, chronic sinusitis, chronic rhinitis, hypertension, and ulcers due to issues with service connection. The VA is required to obtain a VA opinion regarding whether these conditions are secondary to PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for sinusitis and sleep apnea have been granted. For PTSD, the Veteran has received a 50% rating prior to November 26, 2019, and a 70% rating beginning from that date.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, sinusitis, and colitis due to potential gaps in evidence. The Veteran is not shown to have a current diagnosis of these conditions during his active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder, headaches, and allergies. The claims for bowel condition, gastrointestinal condition, hepatitis C in remission, sinusitis, and skin disability are all remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for a sleep disability on the basis that it is aggravated by multiple service-connected disabilities, including gallbladder cancer, headaches, tinnitus, and chronic sinusitis.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of various conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome, a heart disorder, angina pectoris, residuals of a ventral hernia, hepatitis, a lung disorder (atlectasis), hematochezia, gallstones, an autoimmune disorder, and a colon disorder. Service connection was granted for chronic sinusitis with allergic rhinitis.

The Veteran's service connection for allergic rhinitis and restoration of a 10% rating for sinusitis are granted, with the maximum (50%) rating for sinusitis also being granted.

The Veteran's asthma, allergic rhinitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are granted as they are presumed to be related to his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations. The lower back condition is remanded for further examination.

The Board granted service connection for a neck disorder and sinusitis to include rhinosinusitis, finding that the Veteran's conditions were presumptively related to his service in Iraq due to exposure to burn pits. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and COPD, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active duty service due to exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the initial grant of service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) is denied. The Board found that the September 1997 claim did not reasonably encompass a claim for CAD, and therefore, VA did not receive a valid claim prior to August 31, 2010.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, right knee degenerative arthritis, right shoulder condition, lumbosacral strain (claimed as back injury), sinusitis, and left ankle condition have all been dismissed. The claim of service connection for sinusitis was denied.

The Veteran's Hepatitis C is granted as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus type II. The Board has remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's peripheral nerve damage, respiratory condition (claimed as blood clots in the lungs), and sinusitis.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is rated at 70 percent, which corresponds to the level of impairment caused by his symptoms.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of a head injury, sinusitis, right hand injury (claimed as arthritis and stiffness), and bilateral hearing loss due to missing service treatment records. The Veteran will be provided with VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for pansinusitis and bronchiectasis were denied. The Board found that the current evaluations adequately reflected the severity of her symptoms.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, sinus disorder, GERD, hysterectomy (previously claimed as fibroid tumors), PTSD and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression, and alopecia have been granted. The appeal was dismissed for the issue of a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for irritable bowel syndrome.

The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with previous directives and the need for additional VA treatment records.