Other conditions decisions — 2007

The veteran is seeking compensation under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for a detached retina in his left eye due to cataract surgery at a VA facility in January 1998. The case has been remanded for additional development.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain additional development and notification, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and VA medical center records. The veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric condition, specifically phobic reaction, will be reconsidered based on whether new and material evidence has been submitted.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of death and his surviving spouse's DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 due to lack of entitlement under the law.

The Board has determined that the veteran's chronic uveitis was not incurred or aggravated by active military service and therefore denied his claim.

The veteran seeks a 42-inch plasma screen television/monitor as an aid to overcoming his blindness. The case is being remanded for further development and compliance with the VCAA.

The Board denied the veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for residuals of an injury to the right leg, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for brain damage with blackouts and neck and spine disability, finding that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the claim for brain damage with blackouts. The Board also found no current evidence linking the neck and spine disability to service.

The veteran's eligibility for enrollment in the Battle Creek, Michigan VAMC fee basis care program is dismissed as he no longer lives in either Michigan or a contiguous state.

The veteran's appeal is currently pending and requires further action, including scheduling a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO/AMC.

The Board found that the veteran's lung disability was not incurred in service and denied his claims for service connection, increased evaluation, and TDIU.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for a left hip disorder, as his SMRs showed no findings of injury or treatment related to this condition during service.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for the residuals of traumatic laceration of the dorsum of the left (minor) hand, effective from the date service connection was established.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for varicosities of the right lower extremity, finding that his service-connected condition produces intermittent edema relieved by elevation.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim for service connection for defective vision in the right eye, which was previously denied. The veteran's claim is therefore denied.

The case is remanded due to the need for further review of the veteran's claim, including information on Oxford Institute of Technology's status and date of approval.

The veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for chronic brain syndrome associated with convulsive disorder and service connection for residuals of a shell fragment wound to the kidney were denied. The claim for reopening a claim for service connection for residuals of hemorrhagic fever was also addressed, but not decided as it is being remanded.

The veteran's lichen planus of the skin was granted a 10 percent rating effective March 16, 2004.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected PTSD did not cause or contribute to his death due to cardiopulmonary arrest and gastrointestinal bleeding. The medical evidence does not support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for gouty arthritis, finding that there was no evidence linking it to his presumed exposure to herbicides in Vietnam or to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The VA granted service connection for a left varicocele and assigned a 10 percent evaluation effective April 13, 2000. The condition was not disabling enough to warrant a higher rating at any time since then.