Other conditions decisions — 2008

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material, thus denying the reopening of the claim for service connection for urethral stones.

The Board denied the appellant's claim to reopen her husband's death benefits due to a lack of evidence verifying his service with the United States Armed Forces. The new evidence submitted did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.

The appellant is seeking burial benefits for her deceased spouse. The case has been remanded to the RO for further action, including scheduling a hearing before a Veteran's Law Judge.

The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the October 16, 1998 rating decision that denied service connection for a partial injury to the right median palmar sensory cutaneous nerve.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits due to his only service being as a recognized guerilla during World War II, which does not meet the basic eligibility requirements.

The Board finds that the appellant does not meet the legal criteria to be recognized as a surviving spouse for DIC benefits due to her marriage being less than one year prior to the veteran's death and occurring more than 15 years after the end of his active service period.

The Board dismissed the motion for revision of a decision based on clear and unmistakable error due to insufficient explanation of alleged errors.

The veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need of aid and attendance of another person was denied because he failed to report for a scheduled VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining service treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if a VA or other federal facility was available on October 20, 2006, and whether the veteran's cardiac condition had stabilized enough for transfer.

The veteran's claims for reimbursement of distilled water purchases, repair of a personal typewriter, and provision of self-addressed stamped envelopes were denied as they did not meet the requirements under VA regulations. The claim for automobile repairs was also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's net worth is excessive for receipt of VA non-service-connected disability pension benefits, and thus his claim must be denied.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeal due to his death, and therefore has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection as there is no evidence of a nexus between his current prostate disability and his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's dementia was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not related to his service-connected kidney disorder.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities and their impact on his employability.

The veteran's claim for benefits based on birth defects of his child or miscarriages of his spouse, claimed as due to herbicide exposure, is denied. The Board finds that there is no legal basis for the claim because the conditions are not recognized as birth defects and the parties are not veterans.

The veteran's initial ratings for his gastrointestinal condition and cervical spine arthritis were denied. The gastrointestinal condition was rated at 20 percent, while the cervical spine arthritis received a separate rating of 10 percent prior to May 4, 1999, and 20 percent thereafter.

The Board has granted an increased disability rating of 10 percent for the veteran's service-connected right ring finger infection residuals, which is currently rated as noncompensable.