Allergic rhinitis decisions — 2018

The Veteran's allergic rhinitis with sinus inflammation is restored to a 50 percent rating effective from June 1, 2015.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a chronic respiratory disorder (including an irritated throat) and allergic rhinitis, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a left wrist disorder, right wrist disorder, and allergic rhinitis due to incomplete STRs. The AOJ will obtain missing records and provide an opportunity for the Veteran to submit any additional records in her possession.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have increased in severity, and she needs to be examined by a VA clinician to determine the current severity of her rhinitis, sinusitis, urinary incontinence, and chronic constipation.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to deficiencies in previous examinations and because of allegations of worsening symptoms.

The Veteran's claims for vertigo, sinusitis, and allergic rhinitis are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions.,New evidence has been submitted that raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Board has decided to remand several claims for further development, including obtaining relevant federal records and providing adequate opinions regarding the Veteran's service connection claims.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for residuals of dental treatment with facial numbness and tingling was granted, with a 30 percent rating effective January 23, 2003.,The Veteran's chronic sinusitis claim was granted with a 10 percent rating effective April 11, 2014. The Board found the evidence supported a 10 percent rating based on three to six non-incapacitating episodes of sinusitis per year.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not meet the legal definition of a 'veteran' for VA compensation purposes due to lack of active service, and therefore, his claims for service connection are denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for sinusitis, rhinitis, chronic bronchitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as secondary to service-connected asthma due to insufficient opinions regarding whether these conditions are directly related to service or aggravated by service-connected asthma.

The Veteran's sinusitis and rhinitis have not been rated higher than the current 10 percent due to lack of incapacitating episodes or non-incapacitating episodes.,The Veteran's total hysterectomy has not been rated higher than the current 50 percent.

The Veteran's appeals for neck pain, allergic rhinitis, lung condition, and bradycardia were withdrawn at the July 2018 Board hearing.,Service connection was denied for degenerative joint disease (knees and hands), left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal of the denial of service connection for sinusitis has been dismissed due to his withdrawal. The appeals for TBI, headaches, vertigo, pseudoseizures, sleep walking, and allergic rhinitis are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, agoraphobia, back disability, upper and lower extremity neurological disabilities, asthma, sinus disability, and rhinitis (claimed as allergies) due to additional development being required.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including muscle weakness, dizziness, chronic fatigue, rhinitis, sinus disorder other than rhinitis, sleep apnea, GERD, skin disorder (claimed as skin lumps), headache disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The claims are being returned to the RO for further development.