Other conditions decisions — 2007

The Board has determined that the veteran's current lumbar spine disability is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for mild disc space narrowing and degenerative joint disease of the L5-S1.

The veteran's service does not qualify his surviving spouse for nonservice-connected death pension benefits under VA law.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence of a deformed finger or inguinal hernias during service, and the preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current right great toe disability (arthritis) is not related to his active service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's myocardial infarction was proximately due to his service-connected varicose veins of the left leg, and thus granted service connection for this condition for purposes of accrued benefits. The claims for dependency and indemnity compensation for cause of death and dependents' educational assistance are also addressed.

The Board denied a compensable rating for right hip arthralgia as the evidence did not meet the criteria for such a rating.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's lumbar spine disability and left leg disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Board granted the veteran's claims for service connection for left greater trochanteric bursitis and bilateral sacroiliitis, assigning a 10 percent rating to each disability effective January 30, 2002.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current prostate disorder or a currently diagnosed skin disorder related to service, including exposure to herbicides. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death due to lack of new and material evidence. The veteran's eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) was also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's symptoms of a feeling like bugs crawling in his ear are at least as likely as not related to his stapedectomy performed during service, and thus grants service connection for complications of a stapedectomy.

The Board denied increased disability ratings for the veteran's service-connected residuals of shell fragment wounds involving Muscle Groups VIII and VII, currently rated at 20% and 10%, respectively.

The veteran's claims for a higher evaluation of his service-connected abdominal trauma residuals and for service connection for superficial gastritis, esophagitis, duodenitis, and Helicobacter pylori are being remanded due to the need for additional examination and development.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to determine the etiology of his lung condition and ringworm. The issues on appeal are whether he has service connection for chronic obstructive lung disease and ringworm.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and additional evidence, requiring further development including obtaining service medical records, VA treatment records, and private medical records. The veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic neck disorder will be reconsidered based on the new information.

The Board has denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for residuals of a neck injury, finding that new and material evidence was not received since the previous denial in October 2002.

The Board has granted an effective date of May 22, 2002 for the grant of service connection for T-cell lymphoma due to its manifestation by that time and based on presumptive exposure to herbicide agents.

The RO did not separately award SMC for the anatomical loss of the right testicle from April 27, 1968 due to service connection by aggravation. The decision is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a separately ratable bladder disability due to service-connected diabetes mellitus, and therefore service connection for a claimed bladder disorder is denied.

The veteran has agreed to the current rating of 10 percent for his service-connected back pain syndrome, and thus the appeal is dismissed.