Allergic rhinitis decisions — 2000

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for postoperative excision residuals of lipomas of the right scapula with recurrence of lipoma was granted, and his effective date for a 10 percent rating for allergic rhinitis is set at November 1, 1996.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for sinusitis or rhinitis, finding that there was no evidence to support a plausible case.

The Board denied service connection for a heart disorder and found that the veteran's COPD with asthma warranted a 30% rating from March 15, 1995. The effective date of this award was not specified.

The veteran's memory loss and attention problems, skin disorders, swollen lymph nodes, hair loss, fatigue, and joint pain are all found to be related to an undiagnosed illness during his Gulf War service.

The veteran's chronic vasomotor rhinitis with sinusitis and nasal polyposis is currently rated at 30 percent, effective from September 1993. The left ankle strain with arthritic changes was increased to 20 percent from June 18, 1998.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for migraine headaches, finding that the veteran's headaches occur one to three times weekly and are characterized by brief neurologic deficits. The claim for service connection for sinus/rhinitis disorder and residual disability due to nasal surgery is denied as not well-grounded, and the claim for service connection for a back disability is also denied as not well-grounded.

The veteran's service-connected defective hearing and vasomotor rhinitis are currently evaluated at the noncompensable level. The Board finds no basis for an increased evaluation as his current manifestations do not warrant a higher rating under either the old or new schedular criteria.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, a bilateral hip condition, a bilateral knee condition, and a hand disability. The tinea pedis claim was granted with an initial rating of 10 percent.

The VA has granted a separate 10 percent evaluation for the service-connected allergic bronchial asthma and increased the rating of the service-connected allergic rhinitis, allergic sinusitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disabilities to 30 percent. The decision does not address the issue of hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for allergic rhinitis, finding that the veteran's condition did not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection of an allergic disorder, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to active military service.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected allergic rhinitis, hemorrhoids, and pulmonary coccidioidomycosis. The conditions were evaluated under a direct service connection theory without any presumption or secondary basis.

The VA determined that the appellant's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment based on his educational attainment and occupational experience.

The Board has granted an initial compensable evaluation of 10% for the veteran's service-connected scar, right eyelid. The claim for rhinitis/sinusitis is not supported by evidence meeting the criteria for a compensable evaluation. An initial compensable evaluation of 10% is also granted for degenerative spurring, cervical spine.

The veteran's dyshidrotic eczema of the hands is currently rated at 30 percent, which meets his claim for an increased rating.,The veteran's chronic low back strain is currently rated at 10 percent. The RO granted a higher rating to 30 percent effective November 14, 1995.