Other conditions decisions — 2000

The Board found that termination of the appellant's pension benefits effective February 1, 1994 was proper due to his receipt of Social Security income exceeding the statutory limit.

The Board has remanded the case for further development of evidence, including obtaining service dental records and a VA dental examination to determine if any current dental conditions are related to service trauma.

The Board has granted a disability rating of 20 percent for the veteran's service-connected residuals of fractured, right 2nd and 3rd toes since May 17, 1995.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient evidence to support the veteran's claims. The issues of service connection for a low back disability, bilateral hip disability, and nausea and diarrhea remain unresolved.

The veteran's claim for service connection for malaria was denied as his claim is not well-grounded due to lack of competent medical evidence linking current malaria or residuals with service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and requests for additional National Guard service records. The veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disorder remains pending.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right buttock shell fragment wound residuals are currently rated at 20 percent disabling, which is appropriate given his symptoms and clinical findings.

The Board has determined that there is an approximate balance between the positive and negative evidence with regard to the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The appellant's currently diagnosed intermittent explosive disorder was present in service, thus service connection is granted.

The veteran's GSW to the left foot is currently rated at 20 percent, which is the highest schedular rating available for this disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for non-service-connected pension benefits, finding that his disabilities did not permanently prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected low back condition is well-grounded and VA has satisfied its duty to assist in developing facts pertinent to this claim. The current disability rating of 20 percent, which includes a combination of a 10 percent rating for vertebral deformity due to avulsion fracture at L4-5 and a 10 percent rating for slight limitation of motion of the lumbar spine, is appropriate given the veteran's functional impairment.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating of his service-connected epididymitis, finding that it does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The veteran's cardiovascular disease is presumed to have been incurred during his service as a prisoner of war, and he was interned for more than 30 days. The Board granted service connection based on the presumption.

The Board found the veteran's claims for service connection for eye disability and fatigue, lethargy, dizziness and confusion secondary to her service-connected vitamin B deficiency not well-grounded.,The claim for an increased rating for her service-connected vitamin B deficiency was denied as there is no evidence of current chronic disability.

The Board found that the veteran's claim of service connection for a pulmonary disorder was not well-grounded due to lack of medical evidence linking his current condition to an in-service disease or injury, including asbestos exposure.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his death to military service.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected L5-S1 discectomy with traumatic arthritis was granted, and he is currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for varicose veins of the left lower extremity and an increased evaluation for varicose veins of the right lower extremity, finding that his claims are not well grounded.

The Board has restored the veteran's disability evaluation from 20% to 30%, finding that his condition, including a fused C5-6 diskectomy with fusion, did not improve and thus warranting restoration of the original rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a total abdominal hysterectomy as there was no competent medical evidence linking her condition to her military service.