Other conditions decisions — 2006

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for additional medical examination and development of records. The appellant's claim for an increased rating for her stress fracture of the right inferior pubic ramus is pending.

The veteran's claim for vocational rehabilitation and training benefits under Chapter 31 was denied. The case is being remanded to the RO for further evaluation due to changes in his service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder rating.

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for emergency room treatment on May 10, 2004 are denied as no VA facility was feasibly available to provide the necessary care.

The veteran's dysthymic disorder is productive of occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, but does not result in total occupational and social impairment. The Board grants a 70 percent rating for dysthymic disorder effective from July 21, 2004.

The veteran's unauthorized private medical treatment on July 17, 2004 was denied as the criteria for payment or reimbursement under 38 U.S.C. § 1725 were not met.

The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred at a non-VA hospital in May 2004 is granted due to the presence of an emergency and VA facilities being unavailable.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for additional compensation based on his spouse needing regular aid and attendance, finding that her condition did not meet the criteria for such need.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, finding that his lung cancer was not related to his military service or any service-connected disability.

The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), was not incurred in or aggravated by service. The disease was diagnosed 29 years after his discharge from active duty and is not considered a presumptive condition related to herbicide exposure during service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of his filariasis and cholecystectomy residuals.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Board has determined that the causes of the veteran's death were not related to his service or any service-connected condition, including his varicose veins.

The Board has determined that the veteran's in-service prostatitis resolved without chronic residuals and there is no current diagnosis of prostatitis. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's current prostatism is related to service.

The veteran is seeking service connection for prostate cancer and its complications, claiming exposure to burn pit hazards during his military service. The case has been remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for skin rash, lung condition, upper respiratory infections, and fatigue due to herbicide exposure. The evidence did not support a link between these conditions and his military service or presumed Agent Orange exposure.

The Board denied the veteran's application to reopen his service connection claim for a right eye disability, finding no new and material evidence had been presented.

The Board found that there is no competent medical evidence to support the claim of service connection for status post hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage, right hemisphere with residual left spastic hemiparesis and sensory dysfunction secondary to a service-connected anxiety neurosis. The veteran's condition was not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected anxiety neurosis.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his fatal cardiovascular disease to service or any service-connected conditions.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current skin disability or fracture of the second and third toes of the left foot, and there is insufficient medical evidence to support a compensable rating for postoperative residuals of exostosis of the right heel.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and treatment records from private physicians.