Allergic rhinitis decisions — 2002

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including cervical spine disorder, back disorder, bilateral shoulder disorder, tinnitus, rhinitis, otitis media, and residuals of tonsillectomy. The arthritis of the knees is separately rated at 10 percent.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed low back disability, foot fungus, rhinitis, sinusitis, headache disorder (claimed as secondary to service-connected ear disabilities), labyrinthitis (secondary to service-connected ear disabilities), fatigue due to an undiagnosed illness, and hypertension. The veteran's anxiety neurosis and PTSD were granted a 50 percent evaluation.

The veteran's service-connected right hip disability, frontal sinusitis with allergic rhinitis, and left eyebrow scar with paresthesias are currently rated at the minimum levels allowed by law. The Board finds that these evaluations do not adequately reflect the severity of his disabilities.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and retaining all forms of substantially gainful employment, thus his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities is denied.

The Board denied a higher evaluation for allergic rhinitis, finding no evidence of nasal polyps at any time since October 2, 1995.

The Board denied increased ratings for sinusitis and rhinitis, finding that the veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under the applicable VA rating codes.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic disability resulting from an undiagnosed illness or combination of illnesses that became manifest during the veteran's service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations. The preponderance of the evidence is against the claim of service connection for asthma, bronchitis chest pain, and allergic rhinitis.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations were denied. The Board found no evidence of current periodontal disease, cervical strain with muscular headaches, or sinusitis with rhinitis related to active service. The residuals of the bunionectomy were not considered severe enough to warrant a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's rhinitis and sinusitis warrant a 30 percent evaluation, as she experiences more than six non-incapacitating episodes per year of sinusitis characterized by headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected heart disorder did not contribute to his death or accelerate it. The cause of death was determined to be esophageal cancer, which began due to chronic reflux issues related to his service-connected conditions and aggravated by medications for those conditions.

The Board denied service connection for migraine headaches, vasomotor rhinitis, and intermittent labyrinthitis as they are not related to the veteran's in-service concussion.

The Board found that the veteran's allergies and rhinitis existed prior to service and were not aggravated by military service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for increased evaluations for duodenal ulcer disease and allergic rhinitis, finding that his symptoms did not warrant a higher rating under the applicable VA disability evaluation criteria.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, as his conditions do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's sleep disorder, allergic rhinitis with chronic sinusitis, and anxiety neurosis with depression are not service-connected. The VA has assigned a rating for asthma but denied the claims for additional evaluations.