Other conditions decisions — 2002

The Board has determined that the veteran's appeal on the issue of entitlement to service connection for numbness of both hands is dismissed due to a lack of timely filed substantive appeal.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected chronic colitis warrants a rating of 30 percent, effective from April 1, 1991.

The veteran's service connection for residuals of dental trauma is granted. The claims for headaches and low back disability are pending as secondary to service-connected shell fragment wounds.

The Board denied an increased rating for the service-connected urethral stricture disease, finding that it requires daily self-dilations and intermittent catheterization but does not require the use of an appliance or the wearing of absorbent materials which must be changed more than 4 times per day.

The Board found that the veteran's lupus is not related to service, including exposure to herbicide agents. The claim for service connection for lupus due to Agent Orange exposure was denied.

The veteran's attempt to appeal the April 1993 decision denying his educational benefits was unsuccessful because he did not file a timely notice of disagreement within one year of being notified of the decision.

The Board found that the veteran's dental disability was not caused by VA treatment in 1997, and thus denied his claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board has determined that further development is required to determine the proper creation of the overpayment and whether the veteran's pension benefits were properly terminated. The case is REMANDED for these actions.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as the veteran's surviving spouse, finding that she was living in a marital relationship with another man and had three children from this relationship.

The Board has determined that the veteran's atrial fibrillation is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected residuals of a thyroidectomy, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of frozen feet and granted it, finding that there is a medical nexus between his current condition and his military service.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to a withdrawal request from the appellant's representative.

The Board denied service connection for skin disorders of the hands and feet, as well as low back disability and degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine. The veteran's claims were not supported by medical evidence showing a current disability related to his military service.

The VA has denied the veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD, as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence linking liver cancer to military service.

The Board denied the appellant's claim to revoke the forfeiture of her VA benefits, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The veteran's acute myelocytic leukemia was not incurred in, aggravated by, or related to active service. The claim is denied.

The veteran received unauthorized medical treatment for a myocardial infarction at a private hospital without prior authorization from VA. The Board denied the claim as he did not have service connection for any disorder and was not participating in VA vocational rehabilitation.

The VA provided appropriate work-up but did not diagnose the veteran's lung cancer in a timely manner, resulting in his death. The Board found that VA treatment did not cause the veteran's death and denied dependency and indemnity compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board has granted a 60 percent rating for the veteran's spondylosis, unilateral, L5, which is higher than what was requested in his appeal. The condition results in pronounced intervertebral disc syndrome with persistent symptoms compatible with sciatic neuropathy.