Other conditions decisions — 2004

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for pulmonary fibrosis and found that new evidence supports a link between the veteran's current condition and his in-service treatment. The TDIU issue is dismissed as untimely.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a gastrointestinal disability and myositis, finding no evidence of onset during military service or within one year thereafter.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's cause of death to his period of active duty service or any service-connected disability, thus denying service connection for the cause of death.

The case is remanded due to a need for further information regarding the identity of the representative of the deceased veteran's estate.

The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and concluded that the appellant's claim for service connection was denied.

The veteran filed a claim for additional compensation for her spouse on June 27, 2002. The effective date of the award was corrected to July 1, 2002, which is the first day of the calendar month following the month in which the award became effective.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for a lung disability, finding that it was not incurred during service and is not proximately due to his service-connected pharyngitis.

The Board found that the veteran's metastatic testicular cancer did not begin during his military service and was not caused by exposure to ionizing radiation. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for educational assistance benefits under Chapter 30, Title 38, United States Code, for the period from May 15, 2000 through September 15, 2000, based on the fact that the enrollment certification was filed too late.

The Board found that the appellant does not have basic eligibility for non-service-connected death pension benefits due to lack of qualifying service, and thus denied the claim.

The VA has granted a 40 percent disability rating for the veteran's service-connected gout, effective as of the date of the January 2003 rating decision.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for macular degeneration and an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Board found no evidence of a current eye disability related to active service, and there was insufficient radiation exposure to warrant presumptive service connection.

The Board is remanding the case to the RO for further development and compliance with VCAA requirements. The appellant must provide additional evidence or clarify her submission, and the VBA AMC will issue a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral cataracts, finding that the veteran's pre-existing condition was not aggravated by service and thus meeting the criteria for direct service connection.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for chronic cystitis is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for low blood pressure and dizziness, finding no evidence of hypotension or related conditions during his military service.

The veteran's claim for vocational rehabilitation benefits was denied because he did not have a service-connected disability rated at 20 percent or more. The RO granted an increased evaluation for the veteran's service-connected disability, but never readjudicated the issue and provided the veteran with a supplemental statement of the case.

The Board found that the veteran's skin disorder, claimed as residuals of jungle rot, was not incurred in or aggravated by service. The RO denied service connection for sinusitis and an upper respiratory infection, but did not provide timely notice of denial to the veteran. Evidence submitted since these decisions is not new and material, thus denying reopening of claims for sinusitis and encephalitis. The appendectomy scar does not meet schedular criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for generalized arthritis of multiple joints and for increased evaluations for his service-connected residuals of a gunshot wound (GSW) of the abdomen with incisional hernia and herniated nucleus pulposus with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The veteran was granted an initial 60 percent evaluation for the latter condition effective January 27, 1999.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was incurred in service and granted service connection for PTSD.