Sinusitis Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disorder, gastroenteritis, rhinorrhea, and sinusitis are not well grounded. The claim of entitlement to reopen a low back disorder is denied as new and material evidence was not presented.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The claims for residual scars from removal of cysts, headaches, sinusitis, and bronchitis are denied as not well grounded.

The Board found that the appellant's sinusitis did not meet the criteria for an increased rating, and denied his claim for a total disability evaluation due to individual unemployability.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for sinusitis, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted to support the claim.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for migraine headaches, finding that the veteran's headaches occur one to three times weekly and are characterized by brief neurologic deficits. The claim for service connection for sinus/rhinitis disorder and residual disability due to nasal surgery is denied as not well-grounded, and the claim for service connection for a back disability is also denied as not well-grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for a pulmonary disorder, skin condition, sinusitis, and headaches are not well grounded. The claim for sleep apnea is granted as it was incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims for service connection for a circulation disorder, hearing loss, left ear, a bladder disorder, a low back disorder, chronic sinusitis, and otitis media, left ear are not well grounded. The claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder is granted as it was established during active duty.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for chronic sinusitis and for increased ratings for anesthesia of the left inferior nerve with chronic facial pain (cephalalgia) at the left zygomatic arch and a surgical repair site for a left oral antral fistula, as well as for depressive disorder. The evidence did not support current diagnoses or show that these conditions were related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a lung disorder secondary to mustard gas exposure and an increased evaluation for chronic maxillary sinusitis, finding no evidence of full-body exposure to mustard gas in service or any current disability related to such exposure. The claim for increased rating for chronic maxillary sinusitis was also denied as there is no objective evidence supporting the diagnosis.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent disabling, and his chronic sinusitis remains at a 10 percent rating. The VA has granted increased evaluations for both conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various service-connected disabilities, finding that his claims were not well-grounded and thus did not meet the initial burden of proof.

The Board denied service connection for undiagnosed illnesses manifested by headaches, neuropsychological signs or symptoms including memory loss, fatigue, and sleep problems, joint pain, flu-like symptoms, sinusitis, and skin rash. The decision is considered final as the evidence did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The veteran's appeal was denied on all issues related to his service-connected conditions, with the exception of a denial for an increased rating for dysthymic disorder. The RO found that the veteran's dysthymic disorder did not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied increased ratings for sinusitis, residuals of right septoplasty, and postoperative supratrochlear traumatic neuralgia as the evidence did not show an increase in disability warranting a higher rating.

The veteran's service-connected defective hearing and vasomotor rhinitis are currently evaluated at the noncompensable level. The Board finds no basis for an increased evaluation as his current manifestations do not warrant a higher rating under either the old or new schedular criteria.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for increased evaluations for sinusitis and essential tremors of the hands, as well as his requests to establish service connection for left and right upper extremity disorders. The decision found that the evidence did not support a compensable evaluation for sinusitis or a finding of service connection for any upper extremity disorder.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, a bilateral hip condition, a bilateral knee condition, and a hand disability. The tinea pedis claim was granted with an initial rating of 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus, a chronic ear condition, sinusitis, and headaches due to lack of competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The VA has granted a separate 10 percent evaluation for the service-connected allergic bronchial asthma and increased the rating of the service-connected allergic rhinitis, allergic sinusitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disabilities to 30 percent. The decision does not address the issue of hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including pain and numbness in the upper extremities, headaches, generalized osteoarthritis (claimed as arthritis of the whole body), sinusitis, asthma, and breathing problems. The appeals were based on direct evidence rather than a presumption or secondary to another condition.