Other conditions decisions — 2009

The Board has determined that there is no competent medical evidence showing a link between the Veteran's stomach disorder and his military service, thus denying the claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's right foot pes cavus was a congenital disorder that preexisted his military service and not aggravated by it, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking the terminal disease to his military service or herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the appellant's claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death in a December 1997 decision. Since then, new and material evidence has been received which supports reopening the claim.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected penetrating keratoplasty with glaucoma, bilateral eyes was granted and the effective date was set at February 5, 2004. The maximum benefit (40 percent) was assigned.

The Veteran's service-connected rectal disorder, resulting from radiation treatment for prostate cancer, has been characterized by daily intermittent blood loss during bowel movements. The Board granted a 10 percent evaluation effective February 3, 2005.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use of a creative organ, finding that the earliest date of entitlement was November 2, 2004.

The Board has denied the reopening of a claim for nonservice-connected death pension benefits due to lack of new and material evidence, as the submitted evidence is cumulative or redundant.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for clarification of her service-connected back strain and its relationship to her current back disability.

The appellant is seeking an earlier effective date for the initial grant of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits. The Board finds that a remand is required to determine when notice of the Veteran's death was initially received by the appellant, and whether she was provided with forms necessary to apply for DIC benefits.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for periodontal disease with the loss of teeth, including due to exposure to ionizing radiation is being remanded for further development and consideration.

The Veteran does not have any chronic infections for which service connection has already been established.

The Board denied service connection for disability of the middle and ring fingers of each hand, finding that there was no evidence linking this condition to active service.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for Hodgkin's disease, but the Board finds that further development is needed to determine if his condition was caused by exposure to contaminated equipment during service.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of cold weather injuries to his upper and lower extremities, including arthritis. The VA examiner could not provide a clear opinion without resorting to speculation.

The Veteran's application for enrollment in, and access to, VA medical healthcare benefits under Priority Group 7 for 2007 onward was denied due to his income exceeding the low-income threshold.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to determine if the veteran's current thoracic spine condition is related to his service, including obtaining records of his VA treatment and having a specialist review his medical history.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's income exceeds the maximum annual limit for nonservice-connected pension benefits, and thus he does not meet eligibility requirements.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and confusion regarding who is pursuing the claim. The VAMC must ensure all notification and development action required by the VCAA are fully complied with, including providing information on what evidence is needed to substantiate the claim of entitlement to payment or reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses incurred by the Veteran in February 2006.