Epilepsy & seizure disorders Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for epilepsy, depression as secondary to epilepsy, and IBS as secondary to epilepsy.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional development, including an examination and review of records. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a seizure disorder is pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred on April 21, 2010 for treatment of a seizure disorder were covered by VA and not reimbursable due to lack of prior authorization. However, as the private facility was deemed feasibly unavailable and an attempt to use VA facilities beforehand would not have been reasonable, the Veteran's claim is granted.

The VA determined that the Veteran's service-connected grand mal seizure disorder, as of February 15, 2011, meets the criteria for an 80 percent disability rating under the applicable schedular criteria and does not warrant an extraschedular rating.

The Veteran does not have a medically diagnosed seizure disorder incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service, nor has he had any diagnosed seizure disorder caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability. The Board finds that the Veteran's claims for service connection for a seizure disorder are denied.

The Board found no evidence of a current mini-stroke disability and the Veteran's seizure disorder, AVM, and major hemorrhages are not causally related to service or a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for updated medical evidence regarding his competency and financial management, including Social Security benefits.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed right arm, left arm, right hand, left hand, right leg, left leg, and bilateral eye disabilities that are secondary to his seizure disorder and blackouts.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current seizure disorder is related to her military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD was denied as the evidence did not show a current diagnosis of PTSD. The seizure disorder claim is also denied.

The Veteran's epilepsy, including grand mal seizures, had its onset in service and is therefore granted service connection on a presumptive basis.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development and needs further examination and opinion regarding service connection for a disability characterized by episodes of an altered mental state, including a seizure disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no evidence of an undiagnosed illness or a chronic disability manifested by tremors, seizures, short-term memory loss, sleep disturbance, headaches, fatigue, and ED. The diagnoses provided did not support the claimed conditions.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for degenerative disc disease, cervical spine; hypothyroidism; and epilepsy. The Veteran's PTSD claim remains pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and its related symptoms, are not service-connected due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between these conditions and his military service or any in-service exposure. The claims for seizure disorder, sleep disorder (including sleep apnea), loss of balance and hand/eye coordination, mood disorder, and amnestic disorder have also been denied as they are not found to be related to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.

The Board found that the Veteran's pre-existing seizure disorder was aggravated by service, and therefore granted service connection for it.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected partial complex seizures, and for obtaining all relevant VA treatment records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's seizure disorder is not related to his active military service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was granted with an effective date of September 3, 1997. The Board also remanded the issue of earlier effective dates for other benefits.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional private treatment records and providing an opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disability.