Other conditions decisions — 2006

The veteran's service-connected hidradenitis suppurativa requires topical and antibacterial therapy, but that therapy is not equivalent to systemic therapy such as corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive drugs. The active manifestations of the disability involve less than 20 percent of the entire body and less than 20 percent of exposed areas of the body, and are not manifested by permanent gross distortion or asymmetry of one feature or a paired set of features.

The Board determined that the appellant's discharge from service was under dishonorable conditions, thus constituting a bar to VA compensation benefits.

The Board denied service connection for a perforated left tympanic membrane and diplopia and dizziness, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the veteran's military service or his service-connected residuals of a head injury.,Service connection was also denied for bilateral hearing loss disability due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for waiver of recovery of an overpayment of improved pension benefits in the amount of $32,323, finding that recovery would not be against equity and good conscience.

The Board has granted service connection for chest pain, but denied the other issues due to lack of clear and unmistakable evidence showing no aggravation during service.

The Board has determined that a timely Substantive Appeal was submitted regarding the October 1993 assignment of an effective date of February 17, 1989 for the award of Total Disability Evaluation due to Individual Unemployability (TDIU). The veteran's claim is granted and his TDIU is effective from May 5, 1988.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for cold injury residuals of the left hand and right hand, effective as of the date of this decision.

The veteran's claims for increased rating and TDIU were denied as his service-connected condition does not currently render him unable to work.

The veteran seeks compensation under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for urinary incontinence as a result of VA treatment in 1990 and in 1998. The Board has remanded the case to determine if any VA carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of the Department caused or permanently increased the severity of his urinary incontinence.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral eye disability is related to subconjunctival hemorrhages in service, which resolved his vision issues. The claim was granted.

The veteran's initial evaluation for his service-connected left shoulder disability is denied as the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board found that the veteran's current left hemiparesis is not causally related to his active service, and denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's spouse does not meet the criteria for SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance of another person due to her dizziness associated with Môniére's disease.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a prostate disability, finding that there was no medical evidence linking any prostatitis to his period of active service.

The VA determined that the veteran's left eye disability, diagnosed as choroiditis and chorioretinitis, does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent due to current visual acuity of 20/40 in the affected eye.

The veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA ophthalmological examination to evaluate his service-connected right eye disability and consideration of the issue of entitlement to TDIU.

The Board has determined that the effective date for a 100 percent rating for constrictive pericarditis with Dressler's syndrome, for purposes of accrued benefits, should be February 3, 1994.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a left eye injury and right eye disability, finding no evidence to support these claims.

The veteran's claim for nonservice-connected disability pension was denied because he did not have qualifying wartime service.

The Board found that there is no evidence of chronic residuals of an injury to the right hand in service and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.