The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sinus disorder, respiratory disability (cough variant asthma), right hip disability, and low back disability due to inadequate medical opinions. The claims are being returned for further development.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions provided were deemed insufficient in addressing the nature and etiology of the Veteran’s conditions, particularly regarding environmental exposures during service.
- Claimed conditions
- sinus disorder, allergies, rhinitis, respiratory disability (cough variant asthma), right hip disability, low back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 8, 2021
- Citation
- 21007156
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 21007156.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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 decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left and right hip disabilities due to inadequate VA medical opinions. The Veteran will need an adequate VA medical opinion to determine if his hip disabilities are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that remand is needed for the Veteran's claims due to duty to assist errors, including clarification of periods of service and obtaining relevant records. The Veteran will be afforded new medical examinations for each claimed disability.
- 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.
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