Sinusitis Board decisions

The Veteran's sinusitis is granted as service connected due to exposure to particulate matter while serving in Afghanistan.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal includes issues of entitlement to an initial compensable rating for acute sinusitis and service connection for a bilateral foot disability. These issues are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors in prior decisions.

The Board denied service connection for allergic rhinitis and sinusitis, finding no evidence of a chronic disability in service or during the presumptive period. The Veteran's current allergic rhinitis was not related to his active service.,Service connection for sinusitis was also denied as there is no current diagnosis of sinusitis documented in the record.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for dermatitis was dismissed. His claim for service connection for OSA was dismissed as the June 2023 decision effectively granted his appeal in full. The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disability, but granted a 10 percent rating for sinusitis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for allergic rhinitis and sinusitis is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions. The effective date of service connection for allergic rhinitis has been granted as June 14, 2019.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for chronic allergic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis have been denied as the evidence does not show that his conditions meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has remanded the claims of chronic sinusitis/rhinitis, neck disability (claimed as neck pain), and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to pre-decisional errors in obtaining adequate medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for sinusitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastrointestinal condition, skin disability, and traumatic brain injury were denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions.,Service connection was not granted due to the absence of a current diagnosis in the record.

The Veteran's chronic sinusitis was diagnosed during service and has been continuous since separation. The Board found that the current diagnosis is related to in-service acute sinusitis, which developed as a complication of oral surgery in 1982 and became chronic in 1983.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for asthma, allergic rhinitis, and sinusitis due to a lack of medical examination to determine their etiology.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to have begun in service and has been continuous since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's initial rating for vitiligo is granted at a 10 percent level. The Board finds the evidence more nearly approximates a 10 percent disability rating for lumbosacral strain, left ankle collateral ligament sprain, right ankle collateral ligament sprain, and lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve due to static symptoms beginning February 2, 2018. The Veteran's sinusitis is remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's back, right knee, and sinusitis disabilities are remanded for further medical opinions to determine if they were aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied due to his failure to report for VA examinations without providing good cause.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic sinusitis and non-allergic rhinitis, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are etiologically related to his in-service exposure to burn pits.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for right knee limitation of extension and a 30 percent rating for sinusitis, both effective December 13, 2023. The decision is based on the appellant's timely appeals filed under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA).

The Board has decided to remand the claim for service connection for sinusitis due to new evidence submitted after the May 2023 rating decision. The Veteran's participation in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) during active military service is relevant to his claim.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of chronic sinusitis before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's effective date for DEA benefits is denied as the combined rating of 100% was not permanent in nature until April 7, 2021.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for allergic rhinitis with deviated septum and nasal bone fracture was denied. A separate disability rating of 0 (zero) percent, but no higher, for chronic maxillary and frontal sinusitis from August 16, 2021, was granted.