Other conditions decisions — 2000

The veteran's claim for service connection for narcolepsy is being remanded to the RO for a Travel Board hearing and further development.

The veteran's death was not service-connected, and he did not meet the eligibility criteria for VA burial benefits or a plot or interment allowance.

The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date for DIC benefits, finding no legal basis to grant such a retroactive award.

The Board found that the veteran's osteochondroma of the right femur existed prior to service and was not aggravated by military service. The claim for neck pain was denied as there was no evidence of a current disability during service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for Morton's neuromas of both feet, finding that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by active service or a service-connected disability.

The veteran's service-connected postoperative residuals of an elevating osteotomy of the left and right fifth metatarsals are currently rated at 20 percent, effective August 14, 1998. The appeal is granted for these ratings.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for cardiovascular and neurological disabilities are not well-grounded. There is no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's disability rating for cyclothymia was properly reduced from 50 percent to 30 percent, effective November 1, 1996. The Board also determined that a restoration of the 50 percent rating is not warranted.

The VA denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's service-connected residuals of shell fragment wounds of the chest and pericardium, currently evaluated as 20 percent disabling.

The veteran did not file a timely substantive appeal for the denial of service connection for Grave's disease, and her case is dismissed.

The veteran died due to metastatic cancer of the prostrate, and as a result, the appeal is dismissed because the appellant has died.

The Board granted service connection for residuals of fracture of the left radius and ulna, but denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent. The RO assigned a separate 10 percent rating for residuals of injury to the proximal forearm (muscle group VIII) with residual fatigue weakness.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected right thigh disability is being remanded due to the need for further development, including a VA examination and consideration of other pertinent rating codes.

The Board has determined that the appellant's DIC benefits should be reinstated as there is insufficient evidence to conclude she held herself out openly to be the spouse of a person other than her first husband.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim of service connection for acanthosis nigricans and fibroepithelial papillomas, finding that these conditions began during his active military service.

The Board denied the veteran's motion to revise a January 1984 decision that reduced his thoracic spine disability rating from 30 percent to 20 percent, finding no clear and unmistakable error in the reduction.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for an upper gastrointestinal disorder, claimed as a stomach condition is well grounded. However, his claim for increased rating for depressive neurosis is not well grounded.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for panic disorder with agoraphobia, claiming it as a nervous breakdown, finding that there was no competent evidence linking his current condition to any incident in service.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected residuals of a pneumothorax, finding that there was no evidence to support a compensable evaluation based on the current medical records.

The Board found that the appellant's character of discharge was under other than honorable conditions due to an unauthorized absence for more than 180 days. The Board also determined there were no compelling circumstances warranting such a prolonged absence and concluded the appellant was not insane at the time he went AWOL.