Allergic rhinitis decisions — 2010

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, hearing loss and middle ear cholesteatoma, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, a genitourinary disorder, and a cardiac disability as secondary to his service-connected hepatitis C.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if any current respiratory disability is related to service and whether any tinnitus or left ear hearing loss is related to service. The Veteran's claims of service connection are pending.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, respiratory problems including sinusitis and/or rhinitis, right elbow disability, body aches and joint pain including low back, hip, neck and bilateral knee pain, sleep impairment, fatigue, night sweats, and memory loss. The claims are based on evidence that was reopened due to new and material information.

The Board has granted service connection for allergic rhinitis with asthma and assigned a 30 percent rating. Service connection for hypertension, chronic fatigue syndrome, PTSD, and residuals of anti-malarial treatment are denied.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU was denied as he did not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU prior to July 12, 2007. The effective date of his TDIU is set at July 12, 2007.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, or any link to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU benefits was denied as there is no evidence of unemployability prior to December 13, 2007. The RO found that the Veteran did not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU before this date.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for allergic rhinitis and sinusitis, finding that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him eligible for TDIU from August 30, 2004 to September 9, 2009 under the schedular percentage requirements. However, he was denied TDIU as his disabilities alone did not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including heart condition, blocked nose, skin condition, spinal cord or low back injury, respiratory disorder (claimed due to asbestos exposure), and other conditions. The evidence does not support a finding of service origin for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected perennial allergic rhinitis/sinusitis is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of more than three to six non-incapacitating episodes per year. Therefore, a higher rating is denied.

The Veteran asserts service connection for a low back disability and other conditions. The Board finds that additional verification of his Reserve service is needed.,The Veteran asserts service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability. The Board finds that additional verification of his Reserve service is needed and a new VA examination is necessary to determine the nature and etiology, including aggravation, of any hearing loss demonstrated to have existed either during service or prior to service.,The Veteran asserts service connection for gastrointestinal disability (GERD and hiatal hernia). The Board finds that additional verification of his Reserve service is needed and a new VA examination is necessary to determine the nature and etiology, including aggravation, of any gastrointestinal condition demonstrated to have existed either during service or prior to service.,The Veteran asserts service connection for chronic nasal allergies (sinusitis and/or rhinitis). The Board finds that additional verification of his Reserve service is needed and a new VA examination is necessary to determine the nature and etiology, including aggravation, of any chronic nasal allergy demonstrated to have existed either during service or prior to service.,The Veteran asserts service connection for pulmonary disability (bronchitis). The Board finds that additional verification of his Reserve service is needed and a new VA examination is necessary to determine the nature and etiology, including aggravation, of any bronchitis demonstrated to have existed either during service or prior to service.

The appeal has been dismissed as the appellant withdrew it prior to a decision being made.

The Board has determined that there is no competent evidence linking a current disability caused by rhinitis to service, and thus the claim for service connection for rhinitis is denied.