Other conditions decisions — 2008

The veteran's cause of death was not caused by any incident of service, and the Board found no evidence that his service-connected conditions or medications contributed to his death. The claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for dyspnea, finding that there was no current diagnosed disability and insufficient evidence linking his symptoms to service or an undiagnosed illness.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development and notification, including obtaining medical records from the Scripps Clinic and arranging for a VA pulmonary/respiratory examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's back condition, which resulted from a 1996 work-related injury, is not related to his service in 1991 and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's aortic aneurysm was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected kidney disease, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for service connection for aortic aneurysm, heart damage, pericarditis, and residuals of penicillin reaction is denied as these conditions are not considered disabilities for which VA compensation benefits may be awarded. The claim for elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels is also denied.

The veteran's DJD of the thoracic spine was initially granted with a 10 percent rating effective July 21, 2003. The RO found that from September 26, 2003 to June 16, 2004, the disability did not meet criteria for higher ratings under old or new schedular criteria. After June 16, 2004, the veteran's DJD was manifested by flexion of 0 to 45 degrees and other limitations, warranting a 10 percent rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left leg deep vein thrombosis did not occur during his military service and there are no current residuals. The claim is therefore denied.

The Board has granted the veteran's request for a waiver of recovery of his overpayment debt in the amount of $1,523.47, finding that it would be against equity and good conscience to recover the debt.

The veteran's claim for automobile and adaptive equipment as an accrued benefit was denied because the payments are not periodic monetary benefits.

The VA determined that the veteran's current foot pain is more likely due to a non-service-connected back disorder, and therefore, did not grant a compensable evaluation for his service-connected fracture of the right fifth metatarsal.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for chronic periodontitis, an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, type II, and an initial compensable rating for erectile dysfunction as due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The evidence did not support a finding that the veteran's current oral condition was related to his service-connected diabetes.

The Board has determined that the veteran's chronic laryngitis does not warrant an increased evaluation beyond the current 10 percent rating.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records from the St. Louis VAMC and considering all new evidence received since the February 2006 statement of the case.

The veteran's service is not considered active duty for the purpose of receiving nonservice-connected pension benefits due to lack of wartime service. The claim is denied.

The veteran's back strain with degenerative changes is currently rated at 40 percent, and he also has a separate 20 percent rating for neurological impairment in the left lower extremity. The decision on this issue is mixed as it includes both granted and ungranted elements.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical records and a need for further investigation regarding the veteran's exposure to carbon tetrachloride during service, as well as any association between his death and herbicide exposure.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for residuals of a back injury and granted it, finding that there is sufficient evidence to support the claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's dislocated jaw does not warrant a compensable rating, as his functional impairment is within normal limits and does not meet the criteria for any of the applicable disability ratings.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by or related to his service-connected disabilities, including his acoustic neuroma. The cause of death was a brain tumor which was determined to be metastatic in nature and unrelated to the acoustic neuroma.