Sinusitis decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) have all been granted. The conditions are related to his military service in the Southwest Asia Theater.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The Veteran's low back condition is related to his MOS as a heavy equipment mechanic, while sinusitis may be related to in-service symptoms.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for allergic rhinitis claimed as sinusitis is remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA opinion and the need for additional evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for sinusitis and asthma, finding that the Veteran's conditions manifested after his military service in Southwest Asia. The exposure to fine particulate matter during his service is presumed.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the evaluation of chronic sinusitis, service connection for bilateral ear tympanic membrane, and service connection for acute serious media. The Board dismissed the appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic sinusitis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began during active service and are not attributable to any intercurrent causes.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for sinusitis, finding that there is no current diagnosis of the condition and no evidence of an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness (MUCMI) causing symptoms. The Board also found that the appellant did not have a qualifying chronic disability under 38 U.S.C. § 1117, as sinusitis is considered to be a disability with understood pathophysiology.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current sinusitis disability and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran withdrew all pending claims and appeals, including those for service connection for various conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected headaches and determine if they are distinct from those associated with sinusitis. The Veteran also has service connection for sinusitis, which may affect the evaluation.

The Veteran's sinus-related headaches from August 5, 2021 are already covered by his existing 50% rating for chronic sinusitis with sinus cephalgia. A separate rating is denied as it would constitute pyramiding.

The Veteran's sinusitis is considered a complication of his service-connected allergic rhinitis and the Board has granted service connection for this condition as secondary to his service-connected allergic rhinitis.

The Veteran's service connection for chronic sinusitis is granted on a presumptive basis pursuant to the PACT Act, but his claim for service connection based on direct causation of the condition during service remains pending and requires further examination.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for chronic maxillary sinusitis was denied as the symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under VA regulations.

Service connection for allergic rhinitis is granted due to presumed exposure to burn pits. Service connection for right and left ear hearing loss, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, bilateral upper extremity neuropathy, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, skin rash (claimed as a skin disorder), bilateral hand disorder, bilateral hip disorder, bilateral leg disorder, neck disorder (cervicalgia), chronic pain disorder, upper respiratory infection, and bronchitis is denied due to lack of evidence of current disability or service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for sinusitis and migraines on a direct basis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began in service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for chronic sinusitis is granted due to presumed exposure to fine particulate matter during his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations, specifically Iraq and Kuwait, during the Persian Gulf War.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for sinusitis was denied because the supplemental claim was filed more than one year after the previous denial, and the effective date is based on when the application was received with VA.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bronchial asthma is remanded due to the need for a VA examination. The Board finds that his respiratory symptoms may be related to exposure during active service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis and rhinitis, as well as a disability rating of 10 percent for arthritis of the right little finger effective February 17, 2022, have all been granted.