The Veteran's claim for service connection for sinusitis is denied as the evidence does not support a finding that his current diagnosis began during service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,The Veteran's bilateral pes planus is granted with an initial 10 percent rating but no higher. The Board finds moderate disability with pain on use and denies any higher ratings based on the lack of objective evidence of severe deformity, swelling, or characteristic callosities.,The Veteran's allergic rhinitis claim is denied as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 6522.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran’s current diagnosis of sinusitis began during service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,While the Veteran has moderate bilateral pes planus with pain on use, there is no objective evidence of severe deformity, swelling, or characteristic callosities warranting a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5276.,The Veteran's allergic rhinitis does not meet the criteria for greater than 50-percent obstruction of nasal passage on both sides or complete obstruction on one side, which would be required for a compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- sinusitis, bilateral pes planus, allergic rhinitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2019
- Citation
- A19001977
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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