Sinusitis Board decisions

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for low back muscle strain, reopening his previously denied claim. The remaining claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not caused by or a result of in-service noise exposure. Service connection for sinusitis is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for respiratory and foot disorders are being remanded to obtain additional medical records, personnel records from the Alabama Army National Guard (Guard), and VA clinical documentation. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to determine if any identified conditions originated during active service.

The Veteran's combined rating is 80 percent, and the VA specialist determined that his service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable.

The Veteran's nasal disability has been manifested by symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes, sinus pressure, headaches, sneezing, post-nasal drainage, some difficulty breathing, and a 60 percent right nasal obstruction. For the entire rating period on appeal, the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating under DC 6513.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his claim for an evaluation in excess of 60 percent for chronic prostatitis with urethral stricture prior to the Board issuing a decision.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for service-connected residuals of a facial injury with a broken nose was denied as he did not meet the criteria for a 10% evaluation under Diagnostic Code 6502.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further evaluation of his service-connected lumbar spine and sinus disabilities, as well as additional development of the record.

The Board has granted service connection for sinusitis and chronic sinusitis, finding that the Veteran's current condition likely began during military service. Service connection was also granted for a cervical spine disorder, with the onset occurring post-service due to a work-related injury.

The Veteran's maxillary sinusitis is currently rated at 10 percent, but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as it has less than six non-incapacitating episodes per year of sinusitis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis/rhinitis and a low back disability due to additional development being required.

The Veteran's sinusitis, bronchitis, and tinea pedis skin disorders are all found to be service-connected. The bilateral foot hallux valgus and pes planus conditions were not found to be service-connected.

The Veteran's rhinitis and sinusitis with dyspnea have been rated at 30 percent since July 23, 2012.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral upper and lower peripheral neuropathy, cervical strain, and lumbosacral strain with arthropathy, necessitate the need for an automobile to accommodate his mobility limitations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a lumbar spine disorder and other undiagnosed illness-related symptoms, have been denied. The evidence does not support findings of an in-service onset or continuity of symptomatology for these conditions.

The Veteran's headaches are related to his service-connected major depressive disorder with chronic anxiety features. The claims for sinusitis, unexplained weight gain and body inflammation, exhaustion, excessive sweating, skin disability, right foot and ankle disability, and bilateral knee disability were denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.

The Veteran's sinus disorder, diagnosed as chronic rhinosinusitis, is found to be related to his military service and granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's preexisting sinusitis did not undergo an increase in severity during service and denied his claims for service connection for sinusitis, rhinitis, and degenerative joint disease of the low back.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining updated treatment records and scheduling him for VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.