Other conditions decisions — 2007

The Board found that the veteran's right lower extremity venous disability, including deep vein thrombosis, is not secondary to his service-connected left leg disability.,VA denied the claim for an earlier effective date for a total rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disability.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating of his service-connected bilateral, post-operative, inguinal hernias is being remanded due to the need for a C&P examination and consideration of whether an extra-schedular rating is warranted.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance can be decided.

The VA denied a higher disability rating for the veteran's left knee condition, finding that his symptoms did not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting medical findings and a need for further examination. The veteran is seeking service connection for paresthesias of his left foot, which he claims were caused by tight boots during active duty in 2003.

The Board found that the veteran's right arm amputation was not present in service and is not related to his service-connected left wrist injury with DJD of the IP joints of the fingers of the left hand, on either a causation or aggravation basis.

The Board has 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 was submitted.

The Board has determined that the appellant's discharge from service was under conditions other than honorable, thus denying his eligibility for VA compensation benefits.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a heart murmur, finding that there was no current medical evidence showing he had this condition. The appellant did not have a diagnosed heart murmur and his available medical records do not indicate any such diagnosis.

The veteran seeks a special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to visual impairment. The case is remanded as VA needs clarification of whether the veteran's current visual impairment meets the requirements for this benefit.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the veteran's pneumocystis jiroveci and histoplasmosis, including possible in-service exposure.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected chondromalacia and tendonitis of both knees, finding that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation based on limitation of motion or other functional loss.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a stomach disorder, finding that there is no evidence linking his current condition to military service or any service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's chronic skin disability, which covers about one percent of his body surface and includes symptoms such as itching, hyperpigmentation, and flaking of the scalp, does not warrant a rating in excess of 30 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by his service-connected conditions, including those related to his status as a prisoner of war in Germany. As such, the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a dental disorder, finding that there was no evidence of bone loss in the maxilla or mandible due to inservice trauma. The veteran's claim is based on lost teeth and a bridge, but the decision states that VA took over a year to construct a partial plate after discharge.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 (West 2002) for diplopia in left lateral gaze was not filed until May 21, 1992, and thus denied an effective date prior to December 23, 1991.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were granted, with a 40 percent evaluation assigned for the residuals of a gunshot wound to the right upper arm (Muscle Group VI). The other issues related to scars and nerve injuries have been resolved.

The veteran's skin disability, claimed as secondary to Agent Orange exposure, is being remanded for further examination and medical opinion.

The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for the veteran's service-connected residuals of fracture of the right hand, finding that his condition equated to favorable ankylosis of multiple fingers.