Sinusitis Board decisions

The Veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions that are related to his service.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have current pharyngitis, sinusitis, or duodenal ulcer due to service. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected rhinosinusitis is at least as likely as not a contributing factor to his obstructive sleep apnea, warranting secondary service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional VA examinations to determine his ability to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, without considering nonservice-related factors such as age. The claim will be readjudicated after the examination reports are received.

The Veteran's maxillary and ethmoid sinusitis is not productive of incapacitating or non-incapacitating episodes of sinusitis, as required for a compensable rating. The disability has been rated at the lowest possible level.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current gastrointestinal disability is related to active service, and his nasal disability does not appear to be related to active service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection for pes planus and sinusitis. The Veteran's conditions are as likely as not related to his periods of active duty.

The Board has decided to remand the claim for further development due to insufficient evidence and conflicting medical findings. The Veteran needs a VA examination to clarify her current symptomatology, including the extent of nasal obstruction prior to and since her December 2008 surgery.

The Veteran's appeal was denied across multiple issues, including PTSD, fibromyalgia, pulmonary sarcoidosis with asthma, tendonitis of the left ankle, retropatellar pain syndrome (myxoid degeneration) of both knees, human papilloma virus, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other conditions. The appeals were not granted for any of these issues.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable disability evaluation for service-connected sinusitis was denied by the Board. The evidence showed that while the Veteran experienced daily headaches, there were no other symptoms such as purulent discharge or crusting required for higher ratings under VA regulations.

The Board found that the Veteran's COPD and sinusitis were not incurred in or aggravated by active military service. The VA examiner determined there was no objective evidence of chronic rhinitis, sinus condition, or respiratory disease on active duty.

The Board found that the Veteran's current lung and upper respiratory disorders did not have their onset in service or due to exposure to asbestos, cold weather, demolition debris, or other environmental hazards. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted, specifically for her right knee and left foot callus of the 5th metatarsal head. As such, these claims are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, and therefore he is not entitled to a TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for various conditions, including a right middle finger disability, left shoulder disability, low back disability, and right wrist disability. The Board found that there was no objective evidence of current disabilities related to these issues.

The Veteran's upper respiratory-pulmonary complaints of chronic cough and intermittent wheezing are already rated as symptoms of his service-connected intermittent bronchospastic disease disability, thus the appeal for service connection is dismissed.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for additional development as the prior examination report was inadequate and did not address the impact of his service-connected disabilities in combination on his employability.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea and a compensable rating for sinusitis are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.

The Board found that the Veteran's sleep disability is not service-connected and denied his claim, concluding that it was not caused or aggravated by a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of her service-connected disabilities.