Other conditions decisions — 2007

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral cataracts as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus (DM).,The Board also granted service connection for atrial fibrillation as secondary to service-connected DM.

The veteran's skin cancer was not shown to be related to his military service, including presumed exposure to herbicides. The Board denied the claim for service connection.

The Board found no evidence of Hodgkin's disease and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The veteran's right eye disability, resulting from a detached retina following a motor vehicle accident, is rated as 10 percent for the period prior to November 19, 2005 due to visual acuity and field vision loss. The rating cannot exceed 10 percent.

The Board found no evidence of chronic gastritis with a sliding hiatial hernia in service or within one year post-service, and thus denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The appellant claims service connection for left calcaneal bursitis, which he alleges was caused by an ankle injury during basic training. The case is being remanded to obtain a VA examination and determine the relationship between the claimed condition and military service.

The veteran's urethral stricture disease warrants a 60 percent evaluation, and his right Achilles tendon strain warrants a 20 percent evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to a failure to provide proper VCAA notice.

The Board has determined that the veteran did not have active duty service during his alleged period as a prisoner of war, and therefore is not entitled to the presumption in place for veterans who were POWs. As such, the cause of death cannot be presumed to be due to a service-connected disability.

The Board denied an initial compensable rating for the veteran's respiratory disability, characterized by diffuse calcified pleural plaques. The evidence did not show forced vital capacity (FVC) at or below 80 percent predicted or diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide by the single breath method (DLCO(SB)) at or below 80 percent predicted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of the veteran's claims, including obtaining additional medical records and opinions regarding his heart problems and dental condition.

The Board found that the veteran's loss of teeth, hemorrhage, and jaw pain were not incurred or aggravated by service. The hiatal hernia was also not shown to be caused by any in-service event.

The veteran's service-connected residuals of resection, small intestine are found to be essentially asymptomatic and do not warrant a higher disability rating.

The veteran's claim for payment of unauthorized medical expenses incurred from April 5, 2005 was denied because the claim was not received within 90 days after discharge from the private facility that provided the emergency treatment.

The Board has determined that further development is required due to insufficient evidence and remands the case for compliance with VCAA requirements.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hypoglycemia and thus, service connection for this condition is denied.

The veteran is seeking payment for unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Takoma Adventist Hospital on February 13, 2006. The AOJ denied the claim due to the treatment not being emergent and VA facilities being feasibly available. The case is REMANDED for further development including obtaining an ambulance report.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional information and records, including Social Security Administration (SSA) records and private psychiatric records. The case will be reconsidered after these are obtained.

The Board granted a 10 percent disability evaluation for the veteran's residuals of fractures of the third and fourth metatarsals of the left foot, finding that this level of impairment warranted an increased rating.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for aphakia, bilateral intraocular lens implant, with residuals of retinal detachment of the right eye is denied as his current evaluation (30%) is the minimal rating that can be applied to this condition.