Other conditions decisions — 2000

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for scleroderma, a stomach disorder (including ulcers) and an esophagus disorder, a lung disorder, and a nervous disorder are not well-grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for bilateral hearing impairment, bilateral ruptured ear drums, residuals of a closed head injury, and slurred speech are not well grounded. The veteran does not have current hearing loss by VA standards, his right eardrum was perforated during service but there is no evidence of left eardrum perforation during service, the residuals of a closed head injury claim lacks competent medical evidence linking the condition to service, and the slurred speech claim fails due to lack of etiological evidence. As such, these claims are denied.

The Board denied an increased rating for laceration of the liver due to gunshot wound of the torso and service connection for chronic chest pain. The veteran's current manifestations include intermittent wound-related muscle pain without significant disability.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of her service-connected right long thoracic nerve palsy (minor) due to subclavian vein thrombosis was granted, but the specific details regarding the evaluation are not provided in this decision.

The Board found no evidence of a service-connected low back disorder other than spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, and denied the claim as there was insufficient medical evidence to support the veteran's contention that he injured his back during active duty.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder, finding that the submitted evidence was not new and material.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left hip and thigh pathology is causally related to his service-connected left knee disability, granting his claim for secondary service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's motion to revise or reverse a March 1998 decision denying waiver of recovery of an overpayment of improved disability pension benefits, finding no clear and unmistakable error.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for sterility and impotence, as there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to VA surgery in 1962.

The Board found that the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for multiple joint arthritis was not well grounded and denied it.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for reopening his previously denied service connection claim for a nervous disorder, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Board denied the appellant's request for waiver of overpayment of nonservice-connected pension benefits, finding that his failure to report income from 1989 to 1992 constituted bad faith and thus precluded a waiver.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, claimed as secondary to exposure to Agent Orange. The evidence did not establish a link between the veteran's terminal cancer and his active service or exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for sinus infections and postnasal drip, finding that his claim was not well grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cysts and adhesions of the ovaries and fallopian tubes worsened during service, thus granting service connection for this condition. The claim for lumps of the breast is denied as there is no current evidence of a lump.

The Board has found that the veteran's claim is well-grounded and service connection for residuals of wounds of the head, face, and left arm is granted.

The Board has found new and material evidence to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, but the claim remains denied as there is no competent medical evidence of a nexus between the current diagnosis of delusional disorder and his period of active duty service or any service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for an allergy disorder. The veteran's current allergy symptoms are likely related to his military service.

The Board has granted an increased evaluation of 70 percent for the veteran's depressive reaction, finding that it causes moderate to serious impairment in his ability to sustain employment and relate to co-workers.

The Board finds that the appellant does not have standing as a proper claimant to pursue claims of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the veteran's death or to receive VA burial benefits.