The Veteran's respiratory disability, including chronic bronchial asthma and chronic rhinitis, was not incurred or aggravated by service. The Board found that the condition pre-existed service and did not undergo an increase in severity during his second period of active duty service.
The deciding factor: There is no clear and unmistakable evidence to show that the Veteran's respiratory disability became manifest during service or increased in severity beyond its natural progression due to military service, including exposure to oil well fires, smoke and fumes during service in Southwest Asia.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic bronchial asthma, chronic rhinitis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 15, 2017
- Citation
- 1758352
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1758352.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, and chronic fatigue syndrome as there is no evidence of a current disability in the record.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their claims for service connection for chronic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis, thus the appeal is dismissed.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for chronic rhinitis but denied service connection for sinusitis. The Veteran's claim for chronic rhinitis is based on direct evidence, while the denial of sinusitis is due to lack of current diagnosis.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected chronic rhinitis.
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