Other conditions decisions — 2000

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for an ulcer condition and a foot condition, as well as his claim for an increased evaluation for a scalp laceration. The veteran's claims were found to be not well grounded.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating of his service-connected duodenal ulcer with gastrectomy, currently rated at 40 percent.

The veteran's appeal was not timely filed, and the October 1996 decision granting service connection for chronic costochondritis is considered final.

The Board denied the veteran's attempt to reopen his claim for service connection for a bilateral eye condition, including progressive myopia. The evidence submitted since the last final RO decision was not new and material.

The case is being remanded for further development under the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 3.311 due to the need for special assistance in handling a claim based on exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Board has ordered a remand for further evaluation of the veteran's perirectal abscess and to address his claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability. The appeal is not about service connection, but rather an increased evaluation.

The Board found that the veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the left neck is not service connected, as there was no competent medical evidence linking it to his period of active duty service or exposure to Agent Orange.

The veteran's claim for restoration of a 60 percent disability rating for residuals of a stress fracture of the right femur is granted, effective December 1, 1992.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a copy of the appellant's Social Security Administration application and reviewing her claim for an earlier effective date for DIC benefits under additional criteria.

The Board granted an effective date of May 1, 1988 for the award of dependency and indemnity compensation due to a liberalizing law that made lymphomas presumptively service-connected for radiation-exposed veterans.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claim of service connection for spontaneous pneumothoraces due to new and material evidence presented. However, the claim is denied as there is no current disability or medical nexus linking the condition to service.

The Board found that the veteran's right foot disorder is not service-connected and denied his claim for an increased evaluation of his left foot disability. The left foot disability remains at a 20 percent rating.

The Board denied an increased rating for the residuals of a fracture of the left second toe, finding no residual disability other than a well-healed surgical scar.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for duodenal ulcer disease with gastritis, the highest available under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The veteran's service is considered to be 85 days of active duty during World War II, but the Board denied basic eligibility for nonservice-connected pension benefits due to the termination date of August 15, 1945.

The Board denied the veteran's request for waiver of recovery of an overpayment of disability pension benefits, finding that recovery would not be against equity and good conscience.

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting congenital hydrocephalus was aggravated by service, and thus granted service connection for hydrocephalus.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including consideration of new evidence and a VA examination to assess the severity of the veteran's right Achilles tendonitis.

The veteran's claim for service connection for heart disease was denied as there is no competent medical evidence showing a current disability or linking it to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for a respiratory disorder, including dyspnea on exertion due to an undiagnosed illness as the veteran's complaints are attributable to deconditioning and not an undiagnosed illness.