Other conditions decisions — 2006

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate initial VA examination.

The Board found that the veteran's current defective hearing in the right ear did not begin during service and was not caused by any incident of service. As a result, the claim for service connection for defective hearing in the right ear was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's nosebleeds are not related to his military service and have denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cause of death was not caused or contributed to by his military service, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The veteran's herniated nucleus pulposus, L5-S1, has been rated at 40 percent since the initial grant of service connection. The current rating reflects moderate limitation of motion and neurological deficit without incapacitating episodes or other criteria warranting a higher evaluation.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations, finding that he is not entitled to a rating in excess of 30 percent for residuals of mandible fracture with temporomandibular joint dysfunction prior to June 14, 2005 and found no basis to grant a higher evaluation based on the current evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a disability of the left lower extremity, finding that it was not well grounded and that his current condition is not due to in-service aggravation of a pre-existing disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for educational assistance benefits under Chapter 1606, Title 10, United States Code due to a lack of entitlement under the law. The veteran was not eligible for these benefits as his period of eligibility expired and he did not qualify for an extension.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for Ménir's syndrome, finding that there was no evidence showing a link between the condition and his military service.

The Board has determined that there is no competent evidence linking the veteran's current memory loss and/or schizoaffective disorder to his service, including interrogations during service. The weight of the evidence is against the claim.

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for the veteran's partial amputation residuals of the left hand, including his Dupuytren's contracture. The veteran is also entitled to special monthly compensation for loss of use of the left hand.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for reopening his service connection for thrombophlebitis, bilateral varicose veins, and a left varicocele due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected reconstructed right and left knees do not warrant an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent. The evidence does not support a finding of instability or other conditions that would warrant higher ratings.

The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, was not related to his military service and denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's death is being reviewed due to claims for service connection based on exposure to ionizing radiation during atomic bomb tests. The case has been remanded for additional development, including obtaining new dose estimates from DTRA.

The VA has denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's loss of substance of the body of the maxilla and all upper anterior teeth, as his condition does not meet criteria warranting a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case for scheduling a video-conference hearing at the RO in Roanoke, Virginia.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral orchiodynia does not warrant a compensable rating, as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Board has determined that the character of the appellant's discharge from service constitutes a bar to payment of Department of Veterans Affairs benefits.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected left knee disability, which is currently rated as 20 percent disabling.