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Board of Veterans' Appeals · AMA series

Service connection for rhinitis is granted. A rating in excess of 10 percent for chronic sinusitis is denied. FINDINGS OF FACT 1. The Veteran has a current diagnosis of rhinitis; it is at least as likely as not that the…

July 30, 2026Citation Nr. A26069961Docket 220211-218772va.gov source

  • Rhinitis (service connection)Granted
  • Chronic sinusitis rating in excess of 10 percentDenied

Board reasoning

The Board found rhinitis is proximately due to or the result of the service-connected sinusitis, resolving reasonable doubt in the claimant's favor, and granted service connection for rhinitis. For sinusitis, the Board weighed examinations and treatment evidence, concluding the disability most closely resembled a 10% rating during the period on appeal because there were no three or more incapacitating episodes or more than six non-incapacitating episodes per year, and thus denied a higher rating. The Board noted the May 2021, December 2021, and January 2022 exam findings and treatment history, aligning the rating with DC 6514 thresholds and applying the benefit-of-the-doubt doctrine where appropriate.

Issues

  • Rhinitis (service connection)Granted
  • Chronic sinusitis rating in excess of 10 percentDenied

Authorities

  • Spicer v. McDonough, 61 F.4th 1360Federal Circuit discusses but-for causation for direct and secondary service connection leading the Board to rely on but-for causation in secondary context
  • Ward v. Wilkie, 31 Vet. App. 233secondary service connection may use incremental increase standard for aggravation
  • Hart v. Mansfield, 21 Vet. App. 505staged ratings and reasonable doubt framework

Extracted with gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07. Citations are kept only when they appear in the decision text.