Other conditions decisions — 2007

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of leg and foot pain, and scheduling another psychiatric examination. The veteran's claims will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral foot condition is not related to his service and denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected cervical spine disability was granted, with the effective date being May 25, 2004.

The Board has determined that the veteran's postoperative ulcerative colitis does not meet the criteria for a higher rating than 30 percent, as there is no evidence of severe impairment with numerous attacks and malnutrition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and he did not have qualifying military service for non-service-connected pension benefits. Therefore, his claim for both cause of death service connection and death pension eligibility is denied.

The veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 1, 2005 for additional disability compensation for a dependent spouse was denied as the evidence of dependency arose on November 1963 and the earliest effective date is March 1, 2005.

The veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected squamous cell carcinoma of the left hand and ear, as well as precancerous actinic keratosis of the skin, is being remanded due to insufficient development. The case will be returned to the Board after further examination and consideration.

The Board dismissed the motion for revision of the March 1970 rating decision on the basis of clear and unmistakable error. The case is remanded to determine an appropriate effective date for the grant of service connection for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

The veteran was granted service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia with an effective date of August 17, 2001.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a skin condition, conjunctivitis, and residuals of cranial trauma as secondary to service-connected arteriosclerotic heart disease (ASHD). The reasons given were that there was no evidence of current disabilities or a continuity of symptoms since service.

The Board denied service connection for multiple system disease due to immune deficiency as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the veteran's condition and his military service.

The Board found that the veteran does not have additional right hip disabilities as a result of VA medical treatment, but is at least in equipoise on whether he has an additional psychiatric disability proximately caused by VA surgical treatment during hospitalization from January to March 1998.

The Board found that the cause of death was not related to service or any service-connected condition. The VA treatment received by the veteran did not cause his death, and there is no evidence of negligence on the part of VA in providing medical care.

The VA Regional Office denied the appellant's request to increase her monthly apportionment amount above $625 of the veteran's VA disability compensation benefits on behalf of herself and their three children. The case is being remanded for further action.

The veteran's claims for outpatient VA dental treatment and reimbursement for unauthorized dental expenses provided between August 1995 and August 1998 were denied. The case was remanded due to the need for additional records from a private dentist.

The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of duodenal ulcer disease do not meet the criteria for a higher rating, as there is no evidence of active ulcer activity or confirmed postoperative complications.

The veteran's heart disorder, previously classified as cardiomyopathy with mitral insufficiency, has been rated at 60 percent since December 28, 2003. His claim for service connection for arterial hypertension is also granted.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's service-connected conditions to his death, concluding that the cause of death was not related to his military service or any service-connected disability.

The veteran has withdrawn her appeal for service connection for valvular insufficiency claimed as secondary to medication taken for service-connected migraine headaches.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current residuals of a traumatic head injury, and any such disabilities are not related to his period of active service.