The Board has granted service connection for a sinus condition, including rhinitis and sinusitis with loss of sense of taste and smell. The Veteran's headaches, obstructive sleep apnea, left shoulder condition, acquired psychiatric disorder (to include depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances), obstruction of the nostrils, loss of sense of smell, and loss of sense of taste are all secondary to his service-connected sinus condition.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current sinus condition symptomatology is attributable to service, including as secondary to an in-service deviated septum and resulting septoplasty.
- Claimed conditions
- sinus condition, rhinitis, sinusitis with loss of sense of taste and smell
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- October 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20069213
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · Granted: 31% (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 20069213.
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 rhinitis and gastric ulcer with hiatal hernia were evaluated, but the Board found that neither condition warranted a higher rating.,For rhinitis, the evidence did not show greater than 50 percent obstruction of both nasal passages or complete obstruction on one side. For gastric ulcer with hiatal hernia, symptoms were described as infrequent and mild.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examination provided in April 2024 was inadequate for adjudication purposes and remands the case for a new examination to determine if the Veteran's sinus condition is related to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for sinusitis and rhinitis on a direct basis, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his active duty service, including exposure to environmental factors during Operation Desert Storm.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete findings and failure to properly address the onset, cause, and nature of his conditions. The VA will need to schedule examinations to determine if his rhinitis and bilateral hand disabilities are related to service.
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