Other conditions decisions — 2001

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and the need for a VA examination to determine if the veteran's Crohn's disease is related to his military service.

The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Richland Memorial Hospital from February 14 to February 20, 1997 was denied because she has never been granted service connection for any disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and new legislation requiring further development of Army Reserve medical records. The DIC claim for cause of death is also being reviewed.

The Board found that the appellant timely perfected her appeal of the June 1998 rating decision denying service connection for the cause of the veteran's death. The appeal is granted.

The veteran's pension benefits for 1998 cannot be adjusted to take into account the medical expenses he reported in 2000 because they were not provided by December 31, 1999.

The veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected atrophy of the left testicle with a normal right testicle and obliteration vas deferens right and aspermia was denied. His claim regarding CUE in the February 1954 rating decision is pending.

The appellant's deceased husband did not have qualifying service for VA benefits, and therefore the claim for basic eligibility for VA death benefits is denied.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for basic eligibility for non-service connected pension benefits due to a lack of qualifying service during a period of war.

The Board found that the reduction from a 40 percent to a 20 percent rating for duodenal ulcer, postoperative vagotomy was proper and supported by evidence showing improvement in symptoms.

The veteran's squamous cell carcinoma is being remanded for further development and consideration of service connection due to exposure to ionizing radiation.

The veteran's claims for reimbursement of medical expenses incurred in February 1989 are denied as the amounts exceed the maximum allowed by VA regulations.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for endometriosis with adhesions, increased evaluations for pituitary adenoma and ovarian cysts. The appeals were not about service connection at all.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for residuals of a gunshot wound to the penis and for assignment of an effective date earlier than February 12, 1996, for an increased rating. The RO had assigned a 20 percent rating based on service connection under Diagnostic Code 7522.

The veteran's claim for retroactive pension benefits for his daughter [redacted] was denied as she is no longer eligible due to her living independently and not being in the veteran's custody.

The veteran's bilateral residuals of cold injury to the feet were rated at 30 percent from April 15, 1997 to January 11, 1998. From January 12, 1998, his right and left foot disabilities were each rated at 30 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran did not file a timely substantive appeal, and thus does not have jurisdiction to review her claim of entitlement to a compensable disability rating for a right tibial plateau stress fracture.

The Board has determined that new evidence supports reopening the claim for service connection for residuals of pneumonia and abscess of the right lung, and finds that these conditions are related to the veteran's active service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for residuals of pneumonia. The RO will now proceed with a VA examination and medical opinion to determine if any current respiratory or pulmonary disabilities are related to his period of service.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and entitlement to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). The effective date was set at August 25, 1997.

The Board found that the appellant's claim for accrued benefits was not timely filed, as she did not submit her application within one year of the veteran's death.