Other conditions decisions — 2008

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim of service connection for blindness of the right eye due to lack of new and material evidence. The newly received evidence was found to be duplicative of previous records.

The Board found no evidence of malaria or appendicitis during service and denied the veteran's claims for these conditions.

The veteran seeks reimbursement for medical expenses incurred at a private facility on April 7, 2005. The VA is remanding the case to gather more information and determine if any of the conditions warrant reimbursement under VA policies.

The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred as a result of outpatient treatment provided by Dr. A. Sampson on November 1, 2004, November 17, 2004, and November 30, 2004 is denied because there was no prior authorization from VA.

The veteran's appeal regarding the permanency of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability is being remanded for further action.

The Board found that the veteran did not meet the criteria for an earlier effective date prior to March 7, 2002 for his TDIU benefit due to lack of factual evidence demonstrating unemployability prior to this date.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed right testicle disorder and granted service connection for a low back disability, but did not assign an initial evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO/AMC for further development and adjudicative action, including addressing the veteran's CUE claim concerning an August 1959 rating decision.

The VA determined that the appellant's deceased husband did not have service in the United States Armed Forces, thus denying her claim for basic eligibility for death benefits.

The Board denied the appellant's application to reopen her claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted.

The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at a private hospital is denied as the veteran did not receive treatment from VA within the 24-month period preceding the furnishing of emergency care.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service medical records and the need for a VA examination to determine if the veteran's gastrointestinal disability is related to his military service or his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of service connection for status post herniorrhaphy and for a rupture during an October 2007 hearing. The remaining claims will be addressed in the REMAND below.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of the veteran's service-connected right forearm injury and its functional impairment. The claim will be reconsidered based on all evidence received since the August 2004 Board decision.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the inability of the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) to locate his service medical records. The case will be returned for further development and readjudication.

The Board has determined that the veteran's emergency medical treatment provided by St. Francis Hospital on September 7, 2005 was for a condition of such nature that a prudent layperson would have reasonably expected delay in seeking immediate medical attention to be hazardous to life or health and that VA facilities were not feasibly available.

The Board found that there is no competent medical evidence establishing that vitiligo had its onset in, or is etiologically related to, active service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for vitiligo was denied.

The Board has determined that the appellant's peripheral vascular disease is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected hypertension, and thus grants service connection for this condition on a secondary basis.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of the veteran's cardiovascular and respiratory disabilities, as well as their impact on his ability to work.

The Board has determined that the veteran's facial nerve injury and impotence are related to VA medical treatment, meeting the criteria for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.