Epilepsy & seizure disorders decisions — 2000

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318, and accrued benefits due to insufficient evidence linking the veteran's death to his service-connected conditions or any inservice exposure.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a seizure disorder, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to an incident of service.

The Board has granted an increased evaluation of 60 percent for the veteran's seizure disorder, effective from June 25, 1999.

The Board denied compensation benefits for a seizure disorder, lacunar infarctions, and other neurological disability based on VA treatment as the evidence did not show that these conditions were caused by the medications provided by the VA.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various gastrointestinal, respiratory, and neurological disorders, finding that they were not incurred or aggravated by his military service.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied an increased rating for the veteran's seizure disorder due to a cerebral venous angioma, as there is no evidence showing at least one major seizure in the last six months or two major seizures in the last year.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and seizures, as well as evaluations for stress reactions of both legs. The veteran was granted service connection for stress reactions of the left and right legs but with noncompensable ratings.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a seizure disorder, psoriasis, glaucoma, and colon cancer due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were present during active service or within any applicable presumptive period. The claim for service connection for residuals of low back strain was granted with an initial 10% rating, which was later increased to 20%.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for her service-connected major seizure disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional development of the record, including a VA examination and obtaining medical records.

The Board denied the reopening of the veteran's claim for service connection for a seizure disorder, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus was rated at 40 percent prior to July 18, 1988 and at 60 percent from July 18, 1988 to September 8, 1992. The Board denied an increased rating for the period of time from July 18, 1988 to September 8, 1992. Service connection was granted for a seizure disorder secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board found no evidence of a current psychiatric disorder related to service and denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and pension benefits due to his nonservice-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that new evidence submitted since the 1975 and 1979 decisions does not meet the criteria for reopening the claims of service connection for seizure disorder and bronchitis. The veteran's current medical records indicate diagnoses related to seizures, but these do not establish a direct link to his military service.

The veteran's dementia due to head trauma is rated at 30 percent, and his deep vein thrombosis of the left thigh is rated as noncompensable. The other conditions remain at their original ratings.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for a seizure disorder is not well-grounded and denied it.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death and DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 due to a lack of evidence linking the veteran's fatal accident in 1958 to his military service.

The veteran developed additional neurological disability as a result of VA medical treatment in April 1995, and his service-connected disabilities render him so nearly helpless that he requires the care and assistance of others on a regular basis. The Board finds that compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for increased neurological disability is warranted.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities are not of sufficient severity to make him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The VA determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for headaches and seizure disorder was denied due to a lack of medical evidence supporting her claims.