Hemorrhoids decisions — 2019

The Veteran's service-connected asthma does not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or special home adaptation due to his disability rating and other service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination as there is insufficient evidence to make a determination on the claims.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues, including service connection for various conditions and evaluations of his disabilities. The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed to properly assess the nature and etiology of these claims.

Service connection for a low back disability is denied as the Veteran's arthritis was not shown to be related to service.,Service connection for chronic sinusitis is granted as it began during active service and persists to the present.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities due to new evidence and a need for further examination.

Service connection for PTSD has been reopened and is granted.,Service connection for Traumatic Brain Injury was denied.,Initial increased ratings of 10% each were granted for Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy prior to October 11, 2018, and Right Lower Extremity Radiculopathy prior to October 11, 2018.,The Veteran is not entitled to an initial compensable rating for Hemorrhoids.,Effective dates of November 1, 2011 were granted for service connection of Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy and Right Lower Extremity Radiculopathy. The effective date for service connection of Hemorrhoids was denied.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities due to a lack of recent examinations. The Veteran needs to undergo VA examinations for his sleep apnea, psychiatric symptoms, bilateral hearing loss, hemorrhoids, GERD, and allergic rhinitis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between his service-connected psychiatric disability and his claimed conditions. The issues include left pelvic girdle disorder/lumbar scoliosis, chronic hemorrhoids, and chronic anemia.

The Board has denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for hypertension and remanded the issues of service connection for sleep apnea, compensable rating for erectile dysfunction, and rating in excess of 20 percent for hemorrhoids. The Veteran's appeal for special monthly compensation based on loss of use is also remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected hemorrhoids, finding that her symptoms did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal for SMC higher than (m) plus (k) was denied as his service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a higher rating under section 1114(o). The Veteran has more than one disability rated at 100 percent, but does not have two or more separate and distinct disabilities that would qualify him for SMC rates listed in subsections (l) through (n).

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left ankle disability and hemorrhoids. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disability, hemorrhoids, and bilateral shin splints have been denied. The claim of entitlement to an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression) has been remanded.,The claim of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus as secondary to a service-connected disability has also been remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient opinion regarding whether the Veteran's major depressive disorder is related to his service-connected conditions, specifically migraines, hearing loss, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), left side tinnitus, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and hemorrhoids associated with IBS.

The Veteran's claim for a low back disability and TMJ was reopened, with the new evidence showing diagnoses of low back pain and TMJ. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected as it is at least as likely as not due to her service-connected vertigo.,The Veteran's DDD of the cervical spine has been granted a 30% disability rating, which is the maximum schedular rating available under VA regulations.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU was granted effective May 9, 2016. The RO also granted SMC and DEA benefits at that time.,Prior to this decision, the Veteran did not meet the criteria for earlier effective dates as his service-connected disabilities did not warrant such an award.

The Board has remanded the cases of external hemorrhoids and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and its residuals for further examination to determine if they are related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in the physical loss or permanent loss of use of one or both hands or feet, nor ankylosis of his knees or hips. Therefore, he does not qualify for eligibility for financial assistance in the purchase of an automobile or other conveyance and/or adaptive equipment.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for hemorrhoids and has determined that he is entitled to this benefit based on evidence showing a current disability related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for eligibility for financial assistance in purchasing an automobile or adaptive equipment due to lack of loss or permanent use of a hand or foot, severe burn injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ankylosis of a knee or hip.