Other conditions decisions — 2000

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than May 19, 1997 for service connection and a higher rating for his left hand gunshot wound disability. The appeal is dismissed.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death and also denied the appellant's request for Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance benefits under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code. The denial was based on a lack of evidence linking the cause of death to either service or a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder as new and material evidence was not presented, resulting in a final denial of this issue.

The Board determined that the veteran's arachnoid cyst and essential postural tremor are not service-connected, as there is no evidence of a disease associated with exposure to herbicide agents during service. The claim was found not well-grounded.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral retinal histoplasmosis chorioretinitis, which was previously denied in December 1991.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected traumatic fracture of tooth number 8 with extensive bone loss did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation, as his teeth and jawbone could be replaced by suitable prosthetics.

The Board found that the claim for service connection for hiatal hernia with reflux as secondary to a service-connected disability is not well-grounded and therefore denied.

The Board finds that the evidence of record does not present an exceptional or unusual disability picture as to render impractical the application of the regular rating schedule standards. Therefore, there is no basis for assignment of an extraschedular rating.

The Board found that the overpayment of DIC benefits was not improperly created and thus denied the appeal.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim of service connection for cardiovascular disease is well-grounded, and therefore VA must assist in developing facts pertinent to the claim. The case is remanded for further development.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for waiver of recovery of an overpayment of VA death pension benefits in the amount of $5,923 due to her failure to report changes in income from her deceased husband's retirement.

The Board found no evidence to support the veteran's claim for service connection of residuals of a back injury, concluding that his current condition is not related to any in-service event or disease.

The Board denied service connection for post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD) due to the failure of the veteran to provide sufficient information to verify the claimed stressors, which are required for a grant of PTSD.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating of patello-femoral syndrome, bilaterally, rated as 10 percent disabling was denied because he failed to report for VA rating examinations scheduled in September 1997 and July 1998 without good cause shown.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have active conjunctivitis or residuals from service-connected eye contusions, and thus his current rating for residuals of eye contusions and conjunctivitis of the right eye is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's porphyria cutanea tarda is service-connected due to exposure to Agent Orange during his military service in Vietnam.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an evaluation in excess of 30 percent for conversion reaction and a temporary total rating based on hospitalization from April 14 to May 19, 1988. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx as secondary to Agent Orange exposure due to a lack of evidence linking his current condition to his military service, including any potential herbicide exposure.

The veteran's unauthorized medical care and services for a cyst on his back were not rendered in a medical emergency, so the claim for payment or reimbursement is denied.

The VA surgery in March 1983 did not result in any additional disability of the right upper and lower extremities, according to medical evidence. The veteran's current symptoms are attributed to a natural progression of his cervical spondylosis.