Other conditions decisions — 2008

The Board denied service connection for eye problems, including blurred vision and lattice degeneration of the retina, as these conditions were not shown to have their onset during military service or to be related to any in-service event.

The veteran was granted service connection for ringworm, but his claim for chronic obstructive lung disease was denied.

The Board denied service connection for numbness in the fingers, finding no medical evidence of a nexus between the veteran's exposure to herbicides and his neuropathy of the right arm.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for a skin disorder, to include as due to herbicide exposure.

The veteran's multiple cysts over the body were found to affect less than one percent of the body area and have not been productive of active symptomatology during the appeal period, resulting in a denial of an initial compensable rating.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of claimed dental trauma, to include loss of teeth, as there was no competent medical evidence showing that the veteran sustained dental trauma during service or that he has a current dental disability linked to an in-service injury.

The appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to determine the current severity of the veteran's hearing loss and an opinion on his employability.

The appellant's service does not qualify for VA pension benefits, and his claim was denied.

The veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of malaria and the issue of entitlement to separate 10 percent ratings for his service-connected bilateral tinnitus are remanded for further development.

The veteran's arthritis of the dorsal spine is manifested by pain, flexion limited to 65 degrees, full extension, lateral flexion bilaterally limited to 15 degrees, rotation bilaterally limited to 15 degrees, limited endurance, muscle spasm and increased kyphosis; but it is not manifested by flexion limited to 30 degrees or less or ankylosis.

The Board remands the appeal for a more definitive medical nexus opinion regarding whether the veteran's atrial septal defect was aggravated during service.

The veteran's left femur fracture is service-connected as it was caused by his service-connected right leg and ankle disabilities.

The Board remands the claim for a VA examination to determine the etiology of the veteran's right knee disorder.

The veteran's failure to disclose his felony incarceration constituted bad faith and was the direct cause of the pension overpayment, precluding waiver of recovery.

The claim of entitlement to accrued benefits was denied as there were no due, but unpaid, benefits to which the veteran was entitled at death under existing ratings or decisions, or based on evidence in the file at date of death.

The veteran's initial rating for his thoracic spine disorder was denied as the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a chest disorder was denied, and the rating for his adjustment disorder was not increased.

The Board concluded that the preponderance of the evidence is against the claim because there was no medical evidence suggesting that the veteran's bronchoalveolar carcinoma of the lung was present within one year of his discharge from service, and a VA medical opinion found it unlikely that malaria resulted in the pulmonary carcinoma which caused the veteran's death.

The veteran was granted a 10 percent rating for the service-connected residuals of a right navicular fracture based on limited motion and pain.

The veteran's countable annual income exceeds the established income limit for VA pension, and therefore, entitlement to VA pension is denied.