Other conditions decisions — 2007

The Board found no evidence that the veteran's service-connected back disability caused or contributed to his falls, nor was there any evidence that it caused or contributed to his fatal cerebral hemorrhage. The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board denied an increased disability rating for the veteran's service-connected residuals of an injury to Muscle Group VII in the left thumb, currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of separation examination report and for proper VCAA notice.

The veteran's service is not considered to be during a period of war, thus she does not meet the eligibility requirements for nonservice-connected pension benefits.

The appellant is not eligible as a surviving spouse for VA benefits due to the marriage occurring more than 15 years after service discharge and lack of one-year prior marriage.

The Board finds no evidence to support the veteran's claim of service connection for residuals of head trauma, as there is no credible evidence linking any current disability to his military service.

The Board has granted an effective date of April 3, 2001 for the award of service connection for cause of death. The appellant's claim was based on a new and material evidence submitted after her initial claim in January 1991.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication, including a review of whether new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claim for service connection for the veteran's cause of death.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination and compliance with VCAA notice requirements.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the veteran's claims for service connection, increased rating, and TDIU.

The Board found that the veteran's left eye retinal vein occlusion was not caused by VA carelessness, negligence, or lack of proper skill. The event was a foreseeable consequence listed in the signed consent form.

The Board found that the veteran's Hodgkin's disease was not incurred in service and denied his claim.

The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's residuals of fractures of the right tibia and fibula, finding that his current disability picture does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The appellant is entitled to a waiver of recovery of the overpayment of educational benefits for the period from January 9, 2004 to March 9, 2004 due to mitigating circumstances.

The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death (pneumonia, metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the right lung, and cachexia) was not related to his military service or any service-connected disability.

The veteran is entitled to reimbursement for the cost of unauthorized private medical expenses incurred on March 7, 2004 due to an emergency gastroenteritis condition that aggravated his service-connected lung condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of macular degeneration and an increased evaluation for bilateral chronic conjunctivitis. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a finding that the veteran's macular degeneration or worsening vision were related to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has decided to grant the veteran's claim for service connection for emphysema, finding that it is a direct service connection case and not based on any presumption or new evidence.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further evaluation and consideration of his service-connected arthritis of the neck, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected post-operative residuals of an epididymectomy with chronic epididymitis, and post-operative residuals of a left orchiectomy warrant a maximum 10 percent rating under VA's Rating Schedule for removal of one testicle. The claim is denied as there are no additional schedular criteria applicable to the veteran's condition.