Other conditions decisions — 2006

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service medical records and a need for additional evidence from Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination and proper notice regarding the TDIU claim.

The Board has granted service connection for schizoaffective disorder with an effective date of December 27, 1993. The veteran's claim for a higher initial evaluation remains pending.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for basic eligibility to receive VA benefits because her deceased husband did not have qualifying military service as a member of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, including recognized guerrillas, in the service of the United States Armed Forces.

The veteran's appeal is denied as he does not have a service-connected disability and thus, does not meet the eligibility requirements for financial assistance in purchasing an automobile or other conveyance.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a dental disorder, other than teeth numbered 11, 13, 15, 18, 19, 20, and 31, was denied as his application was not submitted in a timely manner.

The Board has determined that the veteran's overpayment of nonservice-connected pension benefits should be waived due to mitigating circumstances and other factors such as preserving the intended purpose of the award.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for additional evidentiary development, including verifying the appellant's military service and obtaining records related to a previous award of benefits from the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission Appeals Board.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a right leg disability, finding that it was not related to his service-connected residuals of a gunshot wound to the left thigh. The issue of an increased rating for PTSD is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining all VA reports of contact between the Campbell Health System and the VA hospital, as well as the veteran's entire record of treatment from the Campbell Health System. The RO will then obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the veteran could have been safely transferred to a VA facility.

The Board determined that the appellant did not timely file a Substantive Appeal regarding an October 2002 decision denying her VA death pension benefits as the surviving spouse of the veteran, and therefore dismissed the appeal.

The Board has determined that the veteran's psychotic disorder clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service but was aggravated therein, warranting service connection.

The Board is unable to determine whether the veteran's death was caused by his service-connected malignant thymoma or if it was related to exposure to Agent Orange. The case has been remanded for further review and clarification.

The Board has determined that the veteran's glioblastoma multiforme, which caused his death, is related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The AFIP advisory opinion supported this conclusion.

The veteran's death pension benefits were reduced to $90 per month due to Medicaid coverage of his widow's nursing home care. The appellant is seeking a review of this decision.

The Board found no link between the appellant's gastritis, esophagitis, esophageal ulcer, and Schatzki's ring to any period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA).

The Board has granted an initial 10 percent evaluation for the appellant's residuals of a right spermatocelectomy, effective from May 13, 2002.

The Board found that the veteran's low back disability at L5-S1 did not warrant an evaluation in excess of 20 percent prior to September 23, 2002. From September 23, 2002, to September 25, 2003, it was not shown that the veteran's low back disability warranted a higher rating than 20 percent. Effective September 23, 2002, the Board granted an additional 20 percent evaluation for left leg sciatic neuralgia.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for syphilis, finding that there is no current disability related to his inservice treatment and that he does not have a current diagnosis of residual syphilis.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for left thigh shell fragment wound residuals and left hip bursitis/arthritis, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.