Other conditions decisions — 2009

The Board has determined that the appellant timely filed a notice of disagreement to the May 2006 rating decision denying service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. The case is remanded for issuance of a statement of the case on this issue.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the left elbow and residuals of a fragment wound of the left arm was denied. The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining an opinion from a VA orthopedic specialist regarding the etiology of the Veteran's coccyx fracture and whether it is related to his service-connected lumbar disc disease.

The Board has found the appellant not eligible for DIC, nonservice-connected death pension, and accrued benefits. The appeal is REMANDED to schedule the appellant for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO in Manila.

The Board denied the appellant's request for an earlier effective date of August 6, 2008, for resuming payment of nonservice-connected death pension with aid and attendance to her. The decision stated that there was no communication from the appellant or her representative prior to August 6, 2008, constituting a formal claim or informal claim for entitlement to resumption of payment.

The Veteran died of pneumonia in 1989, which was not related to his active service. The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran's lung disability and an earlier effective date for the increased rating of conversion reaction are being remanded due to incomplete examinations and procedural issues.

The Board denied service connection for PID due to lack of a relationship between in-service menstrual issues and post-service diagnosis. The Veteran's claims for PTSD, panic attacks, sleep disorder, Bechet's syndrome, and upper respiratory disorders were also denied as there is no evidence of such conditions during or related to her military service.

The Veteran's peripheral vascular disease is related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for urticaria, tachycardia as secondary to urticaria, and entitlement to a separate rating for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), including an effective date prior to March 1, 2002 for the grant of service connection for IBS.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to relocation and communication issues.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of cold injuries to the upper and lower extremities is being remanded due to a lack of a VA examination addressing his claimed conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a lung condition and shingles, finding no current disabilities of these conditions. The Veteran's claim was remanded to obtain an opinion on whether his cardiovascular disease and actinic keratoses were aggravated by his service-connected burn injury residuals.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis is being remanded due to the need for a thorough VA examination and further analysis of his service treatment records.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of shrapnel wounds to the right foot, left leg, and arthritis have been denied because he failed (without good cause) to report for a VA examination scheduled to determine his entitlement to these benefits.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for pleural cavity injury and residuals of splenectomy, finding that no new evidence was submitted to reopen service connection.

The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for removal of the right testicle, and therefore denies the claim.

The Veteran's left hand weakness and numbness are not service-connected, and the Board finds that they are not secondary to his service-connected left humerus fracture.

The Board denied the Appellant's claim for death benefits as her deceased spouse did not have qualifying service in the U.S. Armed Forces and therefore is not eligible for VA death benefits.

The Veteran's DJD of all digits of the right hand is currently rated as 10 percent disabling. The RO has remanded this issue for further development and readjudication.