Multiple sclerosis Board decisions

The Board has ordered the veteran to undergo a VA examination and requested additional records from SSA and the VAMC Tampa. The case is now remanded for further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection of his left knee below knee amputation as secondary to his service-connected Multiple Sclerosis. The RO also did not commit clear and unmistakable error in denying special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ.

The Board finds that the appellant does not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to his service-connected disabilities, as they do not meet the specific eligibility requirements.

The Board has remanded the case due to the veteran's failure to report for a VA examination. The RO will schedule another VA examination and readjudicate the claim.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine and for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The petition to reopen her claim for service connection for multiple sclerosis is considered, but no decision was made as it is not clear what basis for reopening was used.

The Board found that the veteran's Multiple Sclerosis, COPD, Infertility, and Visual Defect were not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service or exposure to herbicides. The Board also noted that the veteran's COPD was diagnosed many years after service.

The veteran's claims for service connection and special monthly pension based on the need for aid and attendance or at the housebound rate are being remanded due to insufficient evidence. A VA examination is needed to determine if his current disabilities, including Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis, are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's multiple sclerosis was initially manifested during active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's Multiple Sclerosis was incurred during active service and grants entitlement to service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's multiple sclerosis was not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may it be presumed to have been incurred in service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's Multiple Sclerosis with Optic Neuritis was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not related to his active duty service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for multiple sclerosis and determined that new evidence supports a finding that his current condition is related to his active duty.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for multiple sclerosis, headaches, idiopathic left leg weakness with pain, fatigue, and urinary incontinence associated with his service-connected multiple sclerosis.

The Board has determined that the appellant's multiple sclerosis is related to her active military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a dental disorder resulting from periodontal disease due to medication for her service-connected multiple sclerosis and denied her increased rating claim for lumbosacral strain with history of coccyx trauma. The decision found that there was no legal basis for granting these claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to February 3, 2000 for the grant of service connection for multiple sclerosis. The veteran was previously denied in a February 1996 rating decision and did not appeal it. His request to reopen his claim was received on February 3, 2000. Therefore, an effective date prior to February 3, 2000 is not warranted.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for multiple sclerosis secondary to herbicide exposure, finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated by service and could not be presumed due to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records from Dr. Howard Maker and requesting that the appellant submit any pertinent medical records in his possession.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a hearing officer's retirement and the need for a videoconference hearing.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right and left hand disabilities approximate mild incomplete paralysis under DC 8512, warranting separate 20 percent ratings for each hand.