Multiple sclerosis decisions — 2008

The Board found that the veteran's multiple sclerosis was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a head trauma, brain scar, seizures, optic neuritis, neuropathy of bilateral hands and feet, restless leg syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and fibromyalgia as there was no competent medical evidence supporting these conditions or their relationship to her active duty.

The veteran's MS with upper extremity involvement is rated at 10 percent, and his lower extremity involvement is rated at 40 percent. The RO corrected an effective date error from October 1996 to March 31, 1993.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for multiple sclerosis in June 1991. The September 1993 rating decision granted service connection and assigned a 30% disability rating effective July 18, 1991. The veteran did not file a notice of disagreement with the October 1993 rating decision assigning the effective date.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected PTSD and the relationship between his multiple sclerosis and service.

The Board has ordered additional development to determine if the veteran's multiple sclerosis and hammertoes were incurred during her military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for Behcet's disease and MS were reopened, but the original denials remain. The claim for PTSD was denied.

The veteran does not have Multiple Sclerosis that is related to his military service. His MS was first diagnosed in 1985, which is more than seven years after he left active duty.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for recognition of his daughter as a helpless child due to permanent incapacity for self-support before reaching age 18, finding that her condition did not meet the criteria at the time she turned 18.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further evaluation of her service-connected Multiple Sclerosis and related conditions, including migraine headaches and bladder incontinence. The issues on appeal are to be addressed upon remand.

The veteran's diagnosed multiple sclerosis can be presumed to have been incurred during his period of active service.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's multiple sclerosis began within seven years of his separation from service and is therefore granted service connection on a presumptive basis.

The Board found that the veteran's multiple sclerosis was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service and denied his claim.

The Board found no evidence of multiple sclerosis during service or within the presumptive period following discharge, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's service-connected multiple sclerosis with cervical spine muscular spasm and urinary incontinence is rated at 30 percent, which is the minimum rating for this condition. The RO granted an initial compensable rating for her symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

The Board found that the veteran's multiple sclerosis was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and may not be presumed to have been so incurred or aggravated.

The Board found no evidence of MS during service or within seven years post-service, and the veteran's current diagnosis is not related to his military service. Service connection for Multiple Sclerosis was denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records from Hines VAMC and requesting an updated assessment from a qualified VA physician regarding whether it is at least as likely as not that the veteran's Multiple Sclerosis manifested as of September 1972.

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for multiple sclerosis, left optic neuritis, or peripheral neuropathy.,There is no evidence of these conditions during service or within the presumptive period. The veteran's statements regarding a nexus to herbicide exposure are not considered competent medical evidence.