Prolonged inflammation of the sinuses causing congestion, pain, and discharge
The kind of evidence that helps depends on which rating level your symptoms support. For a 50% rating, surgical records documenting radical sinus surgery and subsequent chronic osteomyelitis, or operative reports showing repeated surgeries alongside treatment records reflecting near-constant headaches, facial pain and tenderness, and ongoing discharge or crusting, would be relevant. For a 30% or 10% rating, records that count the number of sinusitis episodes in a year are key. These include physician visit notes, prescriptions or pharmacy records showing antibiotic courses lasting four to six weeks, and any documentation of bed rest prescribed by a physician for incapacitating episodes. For non-incapacitating episodes, records showing recurring headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting support the episode count. A 0% rating is supported by imaging alone, without documented symptoms. Your own written statements describing how frequent episodes affect your ability to work or carry out daily activities can help establish the pattern and severity of your symptoms alongside the medical record.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
