Other conditions decisions — 2000

The veteran's service-connected postoperative residuals of a right calcaneal exostosectomy are granted an effective date of January 10, 1984 and ending November 6, 1995.

The Board has granted a 10% disability rating for the residuals of a fractured right olecranon and denied an increased evaluation for the residuals of a fractured right hip.

The veteran's residuals of Lyme disease are manifested by pain and swelling in his knees and hips, but do not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating due to lack of weight loss or anemia.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsillar region, both based on herbicide exposure and tobacco use. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for a disability manifested by loss of equilibrium is not well grounded, and his claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss also lacks merit.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to alcoholic liver disease, finding that it was a result of willful misconduct and therefore not incurred in line of duty. The appeal is dismissed as without legal merit.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for a right eye disability secondary to his service-connected left eye disability is not well-grounded. The evidence does not establish a causal relationship between the service-connected left eye disability and the current right eye disabilities.

The veteran's duodenal ulcer and dumping syndrome were granted a 40% disability rating effective April 2, 1996.,Service connection for schizophrenia was established with an effective date of August 7, 1992.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and a throat disorder as secondary to exposure to herbicide agents, including Agent Orange, are not well grounded. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection due to the lack of medical causation.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his postoperative resection medial plica and partial medial meniscectomy of the left knee was granted, with a current evaluation of 20 percent.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for body-wide arthritis. The case is now remanded for further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to a temporary total convalescent rating following hospitalization from June 22, 1998, to July 3, 1998, for service-connected disabilities because there was no competent medical evidence establishing a relationship between the surgeries during that period and his service-connected urethral stricture with prostatitis.

The veteran's service-connected left wrist disability, characterized by a disunited fracture of the left navicular and degenerative joint disease, is rated at 10 percent. The Board found that the current rating adequately reflects the severity of his condition.

The veteran's claims for reimbursement and authorization for future medical expenses are denied. The VA is not responsible for providing in vitro fertilization services, which are prohibited by law.

The Board has granted an increased rating of 20 percent for the veteran's residuals of a shell fragment wound to the right proximal thigh, classified as lateral femoral cutaneous nerve damage.

The Board has decided that the case must be remanded due to incomplete medical records and a need for further development.

The VA medical records show that the veteran had decreasing vision due to age-related macular dystrophy, cataracts, and central retinal vein occlusion. The Board found no additional disability or aggravation of disability resulting from VA treatment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling an examination to assess the veteran's knee disabilities due to functional limitation caused by pain.

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred on August 10, 1998 were denied as he did not have a service-connected disability and the treatment was not for an aggravation of a pre-existing condition.

The Board dismissed the appellant's claim for reimbursement or payment of unauthorized private emergency room treatment in July 1994 due to her failure to respond to requests for information and evidence necessary to make a decision on the merits of her appeal.