Multiple sclerosis decisions — 2013

The Board found that the Veteran's multiple sclerosis was not incurred or aggravated during service, and is not otherwise related to service. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection.

The Board denied the claim for a TDIU, finding that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to address whether the Veteran's Multiple Sclerosis is related to service or herbicide exposure, and if so, whether it arose during service or is otherwise causally related.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete medical records and a need to clarify whether the Veteran suffers from multiple sclerosis.

The Board has ordered additional development of the Veteran's claim for service connection for multiple sclerosis, including obtaining VA treatment records and military hospital records. The case will be returned to the RO for further adjudication.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his military service and have denied all of his claims for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's Multiple Sclerosis was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not be presumed to have been incurred or aggravated therein.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to November 12, 1991, for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) was denied as there was no pending claim prior to that date and the evidence does not demonstrate a 'factually ascertainable increase' warranting TDIU between November 12, 1990, and November 12, 1991.

The Board denied service connection for Multiple Sclerosis and the secondary claim for residuals of a back injury to MS. The Veteran's conditions were not related to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for Multiple Sclerosis, finding that the condition was not related to service. However, it granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.,The Veteran's MS was found to have developed more than seven years after his military service and is not otherwise linked to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's multiple sclerosis did not manifest within seven years of his separation from service and is not shown to have developed as a result of an established event, injury, or disease during active service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board found the VA examiner's opinion inadequate as it did not discuss the Veteran's inservice complaints and their relationship to his MS. The most recent VA examination concluded that the Veteran's Multiple Sclerosis is less likely than not caused by or a result of an inservice event, including his period of service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a VA examination to address the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities, including as related to service. The case will be readjudicated after any additional development.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to failure to obtain relevant employment records and a VA examination. The issues of service connection for Multiple Sclerosis and an acquired psychiatric disability are inextricably intertwined.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss or MS during service, and the medical opinions provided did not establish a causal relationship between current conditions and service. The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's multiple sclerosis did not manifest during service or within seven years of separation, and is unrelated to service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has ordered a remand to determine the earliest date of compensable symptoms of MS and its etiology, as well as whether it is at least as likely as not related to service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for Multiple Sclerosis and granted it, finding that there is an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding whether MS had its clinical onset in service or within seven years after discharge from service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's Multiple Sclerosis. The appeal will be returned to the Board once these actions are completed.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for multiple sclerosis and finds that new evidence received since the February 2002 rating decision supports a finding of active military service at the time the condition was first manifested, thus establishing service connection.