Other conditions decisions — 2007

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of the veteran's claims, including a request for an opinion on whether his right lung mass is related to herbicide exposure in service.

The Board denied a rating higher than the assigned 10 percent for service-connected residuals of pulmonary cancer, with removal of right upper lobe lung nodule from November 1, 2002 to July 1, 2005.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for her service-connected chondromalacia of the left and right knees, finding that there was no evidence showing that her knee conditions warranted a rating higher than 10 percent.

The Board has granted separate compensable ratings of 10 percent for limitation of motion of the right hand and 30 percent for neurological disability of the right hand due to ulnar nerve impairment.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development of his claim, including obtaining records from an October 2006 endoscopy at the Manchester VA Medical Center.

The Board denied service connection for skin rash and diverticulosis, finding no medical evidence of a relationship between the veteran's current conditions and his military service.

The Board has denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected right little toe fracture, with fusion proximal and middle, currently evaluated as 30 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that the veteran's mandibular prognathism existed prior to service and was not aggravated by active service, thus denying her claim for service connection for residuals of orthognathic surgery.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for cancer of the oropharynx, finding that there was no evidence linking his condition to service, including exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board has determined that the veteran sustained shrapnel wounds to his back and left arm during service, which resulted in current residual scarring. The Board finds these residuals are directly related to service.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for service-connected varicose veins of the right leg.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for nose bleeds and septal dysplasia, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or any applicable presumptive period.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded due to incomplete records and inadequate notice.

The Board found that the appellant is not entitled to recognition as the veteran's surviving spouse for VA purposes due to a separation from the veteran in 1975, which was not due to fault of the appellant.

The Board denied a compensable disability evaluation for the veteran's right eye disability, finding that there was no evidence of impairment of visual acuity due to his service-connected condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's recurrent, widespread rash during service is related to his current skin condition and grants service connection for a skin rash.

The Board has granted an increased rating of 20 percent for the veteran's left knee disability, effective January 17, 2002. The right knee disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling.

The veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a neck injury is denied as there is no evidence that the current condition is related to active duty service.

The veteran's son was found to be a dependent and his SSA disability income was counted as part of the family income for VA improved pension purposes prior to March [redacted], 2005. After March [redacted], 2005, he turned 18 and no longer met the criteria for being a dependent child, thus his SSA income could not be included in the countable income for VA improved pension purposes.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development and readjudication due to the lack of proper VCAA notice.