Sinusitis Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim. For sinusitis, the Board agreed with the VA examiner's opinion that the disability is less likely related to service and denied a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination to address the complex medical questions raised by the Veteran's claims, including his service connection for upper respiratory disorder, right ear hearing loss, left ear disorder, and tinnitus.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for sinusitis and tension headaches, finding that new and material evidence has been received. The Veteran's sinusitis is found to be related to his military service, while his tension headaches are not considered incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and providing a VA examination to determine if any current respiratory disability is related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed headache disability, sinusitis, and allergic rhinitis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for GERD. The effective date of a higher rating for CVID manifested by colitis, diarrhea, history of duodenal ulcer, and chronic sinusitis cannot be earlier than January 23, 2004.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for pharyngitis, eczema of the lower extremities, duodenal ulcer, bilateral Achilles tendonitis, and sinusitis. The decision is mixed as some issues were granted while others were not.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a new VA examination and opinion regarding whether his current sinus condition is related to his service, as well as adjudication of his claim of CUE in the December 2004 Administrative Decision.

The Veteran meets the schedular requirements for a TDIU on June 24, 2010 due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a bilateral ankle disorder, to include Achilles tendonitis, has been withdrawn. The remaining issues of entitlement to increased ratings for chronic sinusitis and hemorrhoids, as well as TDIU, are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including hypertension, degenerative arthritis in both knees, traumatic arthritis in the elbow, pes planus, chronic low back strain, and chronic sinusitis, contributed to his death from an overdose of propoxyphene. The Board finds that these conditions were directly related to the cause of death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his claimed conditions are not related to his military service or any incident of service. The Board found that the current disabilities are unrelated to his active duty and do not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for PTSD and sinusitis have been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of the appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for a sinus disorder, including chronic sinusitis and allergic rhinitis. The preponderance of the evidence supports this finding.

The Veteran's sinusitis has been manifested by symptoms that more nearly approximate more than six non-incapacitating episodes per year of sinusitis characterized by headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting. The criteria for an initial disability rating of 30 percent for sinusitis have been met throughout the period of appeal.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for sinusitis, rhinitis associated with sinusitis, and external otitis were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show three or more incapacitating episodes of sinusitis per year requiring prolonged antibiotic treatment, or more than six non-incapacitating episodes characterized by headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis and increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, finding that there was no evidence linking current symptoms to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were granted, with a 10% evaluation assigned for his irritable bowel syndrome with duodenal ulcer and hiatal hernia. The headaches, COPD, GERD, and erectile dysfunction are all considered to be related to the service-connected condition of irritable bowel syndrome.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for further development. The other claims are currently in a state of pending status.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to insufficient evidence regarding his thoracic kyphosis and additional development is needed for other issues.