Other conditions decisions — 2003

The Board denied service connection for blurry vision and pruritic scalp, finding no current disability or evidence of a nexus to service.

The appellant is not eligible for VA death benefits as he is over the age of 23 and does not meet the criteria for a 'child' of his father's former military service.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for retroactive payment of Dependents' Educational Assistance due to her application being received over one year after her enrollment period ended, and there was no evidence of VA error in denying her eligibility.

The appellant's deceased spouse did not have the required military service to qualify for VA benefits, and thus her claim is denied.

The Board found that the appellant's marriage to the veteran was not deemed valid for VA purposes due to her prior marriage and its unresolved status.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not service-connected due to his pre-existing nicotine addiction, which he developed prior to service.

The VA determined that the appellant's deceased husband did not have qualifying service with the United States Armed Forces, thus denying his claim for basic eligibility for VA death benefits.

The Board has determined that the veteran sustained nasal fractures in service and currently suffers from a deviated septum, which is considered a residual of those injuries. Therefore, service connection for residuals of a nasal fracture is granted.

The Board denied the veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for service connection of Osgood-Schlatter's disease, finding that the May 1968 rating decision denying his original claim was final and that no request to reopen the claim had been received prior to October 20, 1997.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for alopecia universalis is denied as there is no evidence of ulceration, extensive exfoliation or crusting, systemic manifestations, or exceptional repugnancy. The maximum evaluation under the revised criteria is 20 percent.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for residuals of frozen feet and Raynaud's disease were denied as his conditions did not warrant a rating in excess of the assigned percentages.

The Board has remanded the case for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge of the Board at the Los Angeles, California, RO.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease and esophageal disability contributed to his death from a massive pulmonary embolism. As such, service connection for the cause of death is granted.

The Board has granted an increased rating of 20 percent for Reiter's syndrome, effective from December 31, 1997.

The Board found that the veteran currently suffers from residuals of an injury to his esophagus incurred during service and granted service connection for this condition.

The VA has determined that the veteran's post-operative residuals of removal of pterygium in the right eye do not warrant an increased rating as there is no evidence of visual loss attributable to this condition.

The Board found that there is no competent evidence of a nexus between the veteran's impotence and his military service or any service-connected disability, thus denying service connection for impotence.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection for colon cancer, which was claimed as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation. The evidence did not demonstrate a relationship between the veteran's diagnosed condition and his in-service disease or injury.

The case is being remanded due to a violation of due process, specifically the failure to notify the appellant of the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 (VCAA) and its potential impact on her claim. The RO must ensure all notification and development action required by law are fully complied with before readjudicating the case.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's right elbow disability is service-connected, as it was incurred during his active military service in a motorcycle accident.