The Board has granted service connection for chronic sinusitis and headaches, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his service-connected allergic rhinitis. The rating for allergic rhinitis remains at 10 percent.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s service-connected allergic rhinitis might be the 'tipping point' in causing or aggravating his recurrent rhinosinusitis, and a private otorhinolaryngologist agreed. For headaches, the private provider characterized them as sinus headaches. The rating for allergic rhinitis was not increased due to lack of nasal polyps.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic sinusitis, headaches, allergic rhinitis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 11, 2018
- Citation
- 18156938
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 18156938.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine pain, allergic rhinitis, and recurrent yeast infections. The claims for service connection for generalized anxiety disorder with alcohol use disorder and left knee pain were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new examination to determine the severity of the Veteran's allergic rhinitis, including whether there is any nasal obstruction or polyps.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a deviated septum and denied compensable ratings for allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, hypothyroidism, and hypertension.
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