Other conditions decisions — 2003

The Board has determined that the appellant's congenital pes cavus deformity existed prior to service, but increased in severity during service. The Board granted service connection for bilateral pes cavus on the basis of aggravation.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for varicose veins of the left lower extremity is being remanded due to a need for additional VA examination and compliance with VCAA requirements.

The Board found that the evidence submitted since the November 1998 administrative decision does not meet the criteria for reopening the claim of entitlement to nonservice-connected pension death benefits, as it is either cumulative or redundant and does not bear directly and substantially on the specific matter under consideration.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a clear accounting of his educational benefits under Chapters 34, 30, and 31. The RO must prepare an accurate account of how the veteran used his benefits and provide proper citation to applicable laws and regulations.

The veteran's claim for service connection for pleurisy is being remanded due to the need for clarification of his testimony and additional post-service medical records.

The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for urticaria from September 21, 1990 to January 11, 1998.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a fractured left index finger as there is no current disability found.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral varicose veins is being remanded due to incomplete development and the need for a new VA examination.

The Board has found that the appellant's bilateral eye disability, claimed as blurred vision, is related to service and grants service connection for this condition. The skin disorder claim will be addressed in a separate remand.

The Board has granted a compensable rating (30%) for the service-connected iritis of the right eye, finding that it is productive of recurrent incapacitating episodes. The veteran's headaches are also found to be proximately due to his service-connected iritis.

Service connection for the cause of the veteran's death was granted effective March 29, 2000 based on a medical opinion linking the cause to his service-connected conditions.

The Board granted service connection for the cause of the veteran's death based on a medical opinion submitted in May 2000, effective March 29, 2000. The earlier effective date claim was denied as it is legally impossible to get an earlier effective date than when the reopened claim was received.

The Board has determined that the veteran sustained a right rotator cuff tear as a result of VA medical treatment in April 1992, and is entitled to compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.

The veteran's fungal infection of the feet during service is found to be service-connected.

The Board determined that the veteran does not have emphysema, but granted service connection for spontaneous pneumothorax. The decision is mixed as it grants one issue and denies another.

The veteran was rated as 100% disabled due to schizoaffective disorder at the time of his death, but he did not meet the requirement of having been rated as totally disabled for ten years prior to his death. Therefore, the claim for dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 is denied.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for basal cell carcinoma, resulting in a denial of the reopening request.

The Board found that the appellant's lymphomatoid granulomatosis with multiple pulmonary granules is not related to his active military service and denied the claim.

The veteran withdrew her appeal for increased ratings of partial paralysis of the right ulnar nerve and neuralgia of the left radicular before a decision was made by the Board.

The VA denied a compensable evaluation for the veteran's service-connected malaria with hemolytic anemia, finding no active disease and no residuals of malaria.