The Board has determined that the Veteran's current allergic rhinitis and lumbosacral strain are at least as likely as not related to his service, including environmental exposures during deployment in Iraq.,Service connection is granted for a sinus disability (allergic rhinitis) and a lumbar spine disability (lumbosacral strain).
The deciding factor: The February 2019 VA examiner's opinion supported by the Veteran’s service treatment records, which included reports of blunt force trauma to his face during service and environmental exposure to sand storms.
- Claimed conditions
- Allergic Rhinitis, Lumbosacral Strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2019
- Citation
- A19003220
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,677 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A19003220.
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 Veteran's allergic rhinitis is currently rated as 10 percent disabling prior to September 16, 2024 and noncompensable thereafter. The Board found the evidence against finding that his condition met the criteria for a higher rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for allergic rhinitis was denied as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 6522.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings on several conditions have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeals.,The Board has not assigned a specific rating or effective date as the claims are being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA medical exams provided are inadequate for rating purposes and remands the case to obtain an adequate examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis. The Veteran is entitled to a higher disability rating for his service-connected allergic rhinitis.
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