Other conditions decisions — 2007

The Board has granted an effective date of January 23, 1997 for the award of service connection for a herniated nucleus pulposus at C5-C6, status post-operative cervical fusion.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a right arm disorder, bone missing from leg, and residuals of an upper jaw fracture as there is no current evidence of these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for left and right inguinal hernias, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further action, including consideration of an earlier effective date for service connection and SMC based on loss of use of both lower extremities.

The veteran's claim for non-service connected disability pension was denied because he did not serve during a period of war, making him ineligible based on the law.

The VA determined that there is no current disability of head injury residuals and thus denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has ordered a VA examination to determine if the veteran currently suffers from a dermatologic disability and whether it is etiologically related to active duty service or exposure to herbicide agents. The case will be remanded for further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for compression injury of the spine with muscle atrophy and right hand numbness, finding no evidence to support these conditions as being related to his military service.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for postoperative ulcerative colitis is denied as there is no evidence of severe impairment with numerous attacks and malnutrition.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected ankylosing spondylitis did not contribute to his death due to asphyxiation in a house fire. The appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for loss of teeth (excluding tooth number 7) and stomach ulcers, to include as secondary to loss of teeth. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further action, including scheduling a Travel Board hearing.

The Board has determined that the veteran's shrapnel wound to muscle group XIX warrants a 10 percent evaluation, as it is considered a moderate disability due to its through-and-through nature. The effective date remains pending as no specific date was provided in the decision.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection due to new and material evidence. The Board also found that there is at least a reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran's claim, granting service connection on a direct basis.

The veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board denied reopening the claim for service connection for postoperative residuals of right pterygium surgery, previously claimed as a right eye disorder. The evidence submitted since the November 2000 decision does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.

The veteran's keratopathy, status post-extracapsular cataract extraction in the left eye is manifested by occasional pain and impaired vision. The VA has granted a 40 percent rating for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for gouty arthritis of the left great toe and assigned a noncompensable rating. The March 2005 decision was revised to grant an initial compensable disability rating of 20 percent as of February 24, 1999.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hiatal hernia was not incurred in or related to service, including as due to Agent Orange exposure. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board found that a VA facility was feasibly available to provide the treatment in question, and thus denied the veteran's claim for reimbursement of medical expenses.