Other conditions decisions — 2007

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development due to the need for a medical examination and opinion regarding the veteran's skin condition.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right pelvic fracture is being remanded due to missing VAMC treatment records from the Muskogee facility.

The Board found no evidence of a duodenal ulcer during service and concluded that the veteran's current condition is not related to his military service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a current left foot disability and therefore denied his claim for service connection for a left foot disorder as secondary to his right foot condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an extraschedular rating for his fungus infection of the legs, hands, feet, and head, evaluating as 60 percent disabling effective August 30, 2002.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for gangrene of the feet, finding no current disability associated with the condition and noting that there is no evidence linking it to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disability does not warrant a higher rating based on the current evidence of record.

The Board found that the evidence does not support a claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to VA treatment, as there is no proof of actual causation between the veteran's death and the treatment.

The Board denied service connection for skin rash, glaucoma, high cholesterol, residuals of a right leg wound, numbness of the hands and feet, and dry swollen feet. The claims were decided on the basis that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a left eye disorder and also denied his request for an earlier effective date for the award of total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU). The Board found no evidence that the veteran's current left eye disorder was incurred in or aggravated by service, nor did it develop as a result of a service-connected condition. The TDIU claim was denied because the earliest date entitlement arose to receive TDIU benefits was December 20, 2001.

The Board found that the veteran's post-surgical neurological symptoms, diagnosed as monoplegia of the right lower extremity, were not caused by VA carelessness or negligence. The Board concluded that the proximate cause was an event reasonably foreseeable.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected keloidosis, finding that the disability did not warrant a higher evaluation under the applicable rating criteria.

The VA determined that the veteran does not have a current skin disability and that any such disability is not related to service or Agent Orange exposure. The claim for secondary service connection based on Agent Orange exposure was also denied.

The veteran's death was not service-connected, and the appellant did not submit proof of full payment for burial expenses within the required time frame. As a result, the claim for non-service-connected burial benefits is denied.

The veteran's application for enrollment in the VA health care system was denied as he does not meet the criteria for a higher priority group and is therefore not eligible.

The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred on February 25, 2004 is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing.

The veteran's emergency cardiac care at SCMC was deemed necessary due to a medical emergency, and VA facilities were not feasibly available for the treatment. The claim is granted as meeting one of the three requirements under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1728.

The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of a shell fragment wound to the right forearm, involving Muscle Groups V and VII, warrant an evaluation of 40 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a low back disorder. The Board also found that the veteran's current low back disability is likely related to an in-service injury, thus granting service connection.

The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's currently manifested gastrointestinal-related disorders, including rectal bleeding, colitis, and diverticulitis, are related to her active duty service. The claim for an increased rating for her service-connected appendectomy scar is also denied.