Other conditions decisions — 2004

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and a need for medical opinion regarding the cause of death. The veteran's cancer may be related to his Vietnam-era herbicide exposure.

The Board found no evidence of a right facial injury or its residuals in service and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for a left thigh disorder, finding that new and material evidence was not received. The August 1997 rating decision is final.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the appellant's service and denied his claim for service connection.

The VA has determined that the veteran's right knee disability, characterized as infrapatellar tendonitis, does not warrant a higher disability evaluation than the current 10 percent rating.

The Board found that the veteran's lung disorder, including emphysema, was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not be presumed to have been so incurred.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected traumatic laceration of the tongue does not warrant a compensable evaluation, and his headaches do not meet the criteria for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for further action, including referral of the veteran's request for waiver of recovery of overpayment to the Committee on Waivers and Compromises.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected wounds contributed to his death, granting the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a VA aid and attendance examination.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining alternate in-service medical records and scheduling a VA special audiologic examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 1, 2000, for an amended rate of non-service-connected pension benefits due to the birth of his dependent child (S.). The decision stated that there was no legal basis for retroactive payment and that the notice of S.'s birth was received more than one year after the dependency arose.

The veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability, but the appeal has been dismissed as no justiciable case or controversy remains.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for postoperative bilateral cataracts, postoperative right eye retinal detachment, and left eye exophoria. The decision found that current conditions were not incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to procedural defects and the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and conducting medical examinations.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for DIC benefits, finding that the correct effective date was July 12, 1999.

The Board denied service connection for hypercholesterolemia and gastritis, finding that these conditions are not diseases or injuries within the meaning of VA compensation laws. The veteran's claims were based on his belief that symptoms began in service.

The Board denied a higher initial rating for the veteran's left knee bursitis, finding that his condition did not meet criteria for an initial compensable rating.

The veteran's service-connected skin disability (telangiectasia) is currently rated at 10 percent. The RO has ordered a VA examination to determine the current severity of her condition and to ensure that both old and new diagnostic criteria are considered.