Other conditions decisions — 2006

The Board has determined that a VA examination is necessary to determine if the veteran's current skin condition is related to his service and/or exposure to Agent Orange. The claim will be remanded for further development.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for right thumb and bilateral foot disorders due to new evidence provided during his January 2006 hearing. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining additional personnel records and determining if there are any relevant reserve unit records.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for VA death benefits because her deceased husband did not have qualifying military service, as determined by the National Personnel Records Center.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection of hereditary abnormal bone condition and bilateral foot deformities. The evidence does not show that these conditions were aggravated by military service, but they pre-existed service.

The Board has denied the appellant's request to reopen her claim for basic legal entitlement to VA benefits as a child of the veteran, finding that no new and material evidence was submitted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bowel disorder, manifested by fairly frequent involuntary bowel movements but not complete loss of sphincter control, warrants a rating of 60 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's request for a waiver of recovery of an overpayment of education benefits under Chapter 35, Title 38 U.S.C. due to fault on his part and lack of undue hardship.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cause of death, Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA), and Cardiopulmonary Arrest, did not result from service-connected conditions. The Board also found no evidence linking arthritis to service or contributing to the cause of death.

The veteran's application for enrollment in the VA healthcare system was denied due to his assignment to Priority Group 8, which is not eligible for new enrollments.

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred from October 2 to 4, 2002 at Greenville Memorial Hospital were denied as VA facilities were feasibly available for his care.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further action, including a new examination and consideration of potentially relevant rating criteria.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The Board has granted increased ratings of 20 percent for chondromalacia patella of the right and left knees, effective from when the initial rating was assigned in March 2001.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the death of the appellant, and thus there is no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue is found to be service-connected, with exposure to Agent Orange as a contributing factor.

The appellant's claims for payment or reimbursement of private medical expenses are denied as they do not meet the criteria under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1728 and 38 C.F.R. § 17.120.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection as his herniated nucleus pulposus at C6-7 with associated compression of spinal cord was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The veteran's left hip disability, which includes a total hip replacement, is currently rated at 50 percent. The Board found that the current rating adequately reflects his moderately severe residuals of weakness and pain without warranting a higher evaluation based on limitation of motion or other criteria.

The Board found that the veteran's left leg disability, which is a healed diathesis fracture of the left femur, does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 20 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for ulcerative colitis with bleeding ulcers and spastic colon secondary to PTSD, as well as his requests for increased ratings for PTSD and for an effective date prior to October 13, 2000.