Other conditions decisions — 2007

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for mycobacterium infection, claimed as tuberculosis, with malnutrition due to a lack of evidence relating the current condition to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if any current skin condition is related to service. The veteran's claim will be reviewed again after these actions.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current disabilities of hammer toes, bilateral corns, calluses, or syndactylization of the 4th and 5th toes. As a result, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim of service connection for a left orchiectomy, finding that no new and material evidence had been received.

The Board found that the metastatic pancreatic cancer was not related to military service and did not contribute substantially or materially to cause the veteran's death.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional evidence, including documents held at the Denver Regional Office. The appellant's representative indicated they have additional evidence but did not waive review by the agency of original jurisdiction.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for residuals of a right thumb injury, finding that the condition did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the appellant's claim for basic eligibility to receive VA death pension benefits as her late husband did not have qualifying service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claim for a separate disability rating for antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, but it is not warranted as there are no additional manifestations of this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for enucleation of his right eye and residuals of a shell fragment wound to his right frontal lobe, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings under VA rating criteria.

The appeal is being remanded for additional development and consideration of the claims for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and eligibility to DEA. The appellant needs to provide clarification regarding any additional medical opinions or hearings.

The Board found that the veteran's large cell lymphoma was not incurred in or aggravated by military service and denied his claim for service connection. The Board also determined that he did not have PTSD due to military service.

The veteran's service-connected reflux disorder with residuals from tongue cancer, status-post tongue resection, was granted a 30 percent rating effective June 30, 2006.

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting left leg disorder clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service, and there was no clear and unmistakable evidence showing it was aggravated by service. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for additional compensation based on his daughter's attendance at the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), finding that she is wholly supported by the Federal Government and thus not a dependent eligible for VA benefits.

The VA determined that the veteran's current loss of taste is not related to his service-connected residuals of skull fracture with craniotomy and loss of smell, thus denying his claim for secondary service connection.

The appellant is not legally entitled to VA death pension benefits as she was never the surviving spouse of the veteran.

The Board denied the appellant's request to reopen her claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left finger disability does not warrant an increased evaluation as it is currently rated noncompensably disabling.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not meet the criteria to be recognized as a former prisoner of war (POW) for VA purposes, and thus his claim for service connection based on POW status is denied. The RO's December 1990 decision denying service connection for malaria remains final, and no new and material evidence has been submitted since that time to reopen the claim.