Sinusitis & rhinitis — all decisions

The Board granted service connection for basal cell carcinoma and a higher initial disability rating of 70 percent for other specified trauma-and-stressor-related disorder, while denying increased ratings for lumbosacral strain, right lower radiculopathy, bilateral hearing loss, chronic rhinitis, tension headaches, and mitral valve prolapse.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for asthma and sinusitis to obtain new VA medical opinions addressing whether these conditions are related to service, including in-service exposure to jet fuel.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea and allergic rhinitis, finding no evidence that these conditions were related to the Veteran's military service or any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain or retain substantially gainful employment from December 12, 2001, and he is eligible for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance starting July 24, 2017.

The Board granted a maximum schedular 30 percent rating for rhinitis effective from December 6, 2024, based on the presence of nasal polyps.

The Board granted an initial 10 percent rating for allergic rhinitis based on the Veteran's reported symptoms and medication use, which more nearly approximate greater than 50-percent obstruction of nasal passage on both sides or complete obstruction on one side.

The Board granted an initial rating of 10 percent for the Veteran's service-connected left knee strain, limitation of flexion (claimed as bilateral knee condition), and denied a compensable rating for hypertension. Service connection was also granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board granted service connection for sinusitis and remanded the claims for a bilateral hand condition, bilateral knee condition, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The appeal for service connection for sinusitis was dismissed due to impermissible concurrent elections of administrative review options.

The Board granted service connection for left knee disability and sinusitis, but denied service connection for tinnitus. The Board also denied increased ratings for psychiatric disability and certain left hip conditions.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) exclusively due to service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and special monthly compensation (SMC) based on housebound status from August 31, 2023.

The Board granted service connection for adjustment disorder with anxiety but denied service connection for sinus condition and neck disability. The issue of entitlement to service connection for undifferentiated connective tissue disease was remanded.

The appeal for an increased rating for the acquired psychiatric disorder and other disabilities was denied, with no increase in the assigned ratings.

The appeal for service connection for benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH) was dismissed by the Veteran. Service connection for sinusitis and allergic rhinitis was denied.

The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for cervical strain and a separate 10 percent rating for limited lateral excursion range of motion due to TMJD, while denying an initial rating higher than 70 percent for PTSD and dismissing the claim for a rating higher than 10 percent for allergic rhinitis as moot.

The Board remands the matter of a compensable rating for rhinitis and entitlement to TDIU due to insufficient evidence regarding the ameliorative effects of the Veteran's allergy medication.

The Board granted service connection for chronic sinusitis and headaches, but denied service connection for hyperlipidemia and a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis.

The Board granted an effective date of March 5, 2012, for allergic rhinitis and a disability rating of 30 percent.

The Board granted a 40 percent rating for degenerative disc disease (DDD) with degenerative arthritis and retrolisthesis from February 16, 2021. Other claims were denied.

The Board granted service connection for sinusitis based on presumed exposure to fine particulate matter during the Veteran's service in Afghanistan. The claims for headaches and GERD were remanded for further development.