Sinusitis Board decisions

The Veteran's Meniere's disease is found to have been incurred during service, and he is granted service connection. However, his sinusitis does not meet the criteria for a rating higher than 10 percent.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and an opinion from a different VA sleep specialist regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea.

The Board denied service connection for upper respiratory disability, headaches, and lipoma at the left temple or its residuals due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to active duty service.

For the period prior to May 14, 2014, the Veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis was manifested by mild symptoms without obstruction of the nasal passages or polyps. For the period from May 14, 2014, the condition has been characterized by greater than 50 percent obstruction of the nasal passages on both sides with permanent hypertrophy of the nasal turbinates and no polyps.,For the period prior to October 2013, the service-connected sinusitis was productive of three to six non-incapacitating episodes per year of sinusitis characterized by headaches, pain, tenderness, crusting, and purulent discharge. For the period from October 2013, the condition has been manifested by six or more non-incapacitating episodes per year of sinusitis characterized by headaches, pain, tenderness, crusting, and purulent discharge.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to the need to adjudicate her service connection claims for migraine headaches and degenerative joint disease of the cervical and lumbar spine. The case will be returned to the Board after these issues are resolved.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for migraine headaches and status post septoplasty with chronic sinusitis were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has withdrawn the claims of entitlement to service connection for chronic sinusitis and low back disability due to a request by the Veteran's representative. The Veteran is found to have irritable bowel syndrome, which was incurred in military service and is considered a qualifying chronic disability under Persian Gulf War criteria. Neurological symptoms in both upper and lower extremities are also considered as an undiagnosed illness related to military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's sinusitis does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation, as it did not present with near-constant symptoms or chronic osteomyelitis following radical surgery. The current 30 percent rating is maintained.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for left knee disability has been withdrawn. The remaining issues of increased ratings for hepatitis C, sinusitis, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine are being remanded.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of any of the claimed conditions and thus denied service connection for all issues.

The Board has found that the Veteran's recurrent upper respiratory signs and symptoms, including sinusitis, are due to an undiagnosed illness manifested during his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations. Service connection is granted for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled Board hearing. His claims for service connection are still pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing new VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to January 14, 2010, for the grant of service connection for various conditions due to a lack of evidence showing she filed her formal application for benefits within one year after receiving the initial request.

The Veteran's sinusitis/allergic rhinitis with headaches is rated at 30 percent from the date of claim to November 3, 1994. A separate 30 percent rating for sinus headaches has also been granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's migraine headaches did not meet the criteria for service connection as they are not related to his service-connected allergic rhinitis and sinusitis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of her service-connected sinusitis and to determine if she has psoriasis that may be related to her military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's sinusitis, hypertension, sleep apnea, and transient ischemic attacks with strokes are not attributable to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's sinusitis is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, which meets the criteria for a 10 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Sinusitis. The Veteran's dry eye syndrome and concentric cardiac hypertrophy with sinus bradycardia status post implanted pacemaker are not addressed in this decision.

The Board has granted service connection for a skin disability (other than pseudofolliculitis barbae) and an increased rating for sinusitis, both currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling.