Other conditions decisions — 2001

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected residuals of gunshot wounds to the left thigh warrant a 40 percent disability evaluation, reflecting impairment to Muscle Group XIV (anterior thigh group). The veteran's service-connected residuals of gunshot wound to the left forearm are currently rated at zero percent.

The evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's Reiter's syndrome or psoriatic arthritis were incurred in service, and they are therefore denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence and changes in law, requiring further development and consideration of the claim.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for malaria and residuals of a fracture of the right mandible were denied as there is no evidence of active or residual malaria, and the residuals do not result in loss of masticatory function.

The Board determined that the appellant's discharge from service was under dishonorable conditions due to willful and persistent misconduct, resulting in an Undesirable Discharge Certificate. As a result, his appeal is denied.

The Board found that the veteran did not submit new and material evidence to reopen his claim for service connection for neurasthenia/nervous condition/psychoneurosis, which was initially granted in March 1944. The decision is denied.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lung condition, which was aggravated by VA treatment in April 1988, has been granted. The current effective date is November 27, 1990.

The Board has remanded this case due to procedural issues and the need for additional development. The veteran's claim is now pending again.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected chronic back strain with degenerative changes, currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the appellant's neuralgia involving the lower abdominal wall, finding that it approximates mild incomplete paralysis under VA disability evaluation criteria.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder has been withdrawn by the appellant and his representative.

The Board denied a request for an earlier effective date for the grant of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits, finding that the earliest possible effective date is July 28, 1997.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected defective hearing with perforation of the left tympanic membrane warrants a 10 percent disability evaluation, effective from the date of the January 1998 VA audiometric examination.

The Board has determined that the earliest date for granting service connection for postoperative gastric cancer, claimed as secondary to the service-connected duodenal ulcer with partial gastrectomy and vagotomy is July 10, 1998.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional medical evidence and conduct a comprehensive VA examination of the left leg and foot to assess all pertinent residuals of the GSW.

The case is being remanded to the RO for further review of the appellant's claim under the revised and expanded effective date provision of the Veterans Benefits and Health Care Act of 2000, Pub. L. No. 106-419.

The VA denied the appellant's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected strain and myositis of the lumbar paravertebral muscles, currently rated at 20 percent.

The veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected right wrist fracture is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and compliance with the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected residuals of a pilonidal cyst, currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected right hand disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, as there was no unfavorable ankylosis in his ring and little fingers. The current 10 percent rating is maintained.