Other conditions decisions — 2010

The Board has granted service connection for right great toe hallux valgus, status post right fifth toe arthroplasty, and status post right digital keratomas.

The Veteran's appeal involves several issues including the entitlement to specially adapted housing, earlier effective dates for service connection and PTSD ratings, and a determination of CUE in a prior rating decision. The case is being remanded due to incomplete records and unresolved issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pulmonary fibrosis is not related to his period of service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's disability manifested by dizziness is not related to service and cannot be attributed to a service-connected condition. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for a cardiovascular disorder, finding that no new and material evidence had been received.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected shell fragment wounds to the right back and posterior chest, as well as to the right hip with retained foreign bodies, are being remanded due to incomplete evaluations. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a gastrointestinal disability, as secondary to her service-connected PTSD, has been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing her appeal.

The Board finds that the Veteran's residuals of stress fractures of both left and right tibias are productive of no more than slight impairment, warranting a separate 10 percent rating for each.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a right humeral head lesion that he believes is secondary to his already service-connected thoracic outlet syndrome due to whiplash injury. The case has been remanded for additional development, including scheduling the Veteran for a Travel Board hearing.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to additional evidence submitted by the appellant.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for joint pain and respiratory disorder was denied. The Board found that the service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board denied the appellant's request for non-service-connected death pension due to her income exceeding the maximum annual pension rate.

The Veteran's myofascial strain of left satorius muscle, claimed as a left hip disability, is not found to be related to his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of death, finding that there is no nexus between the Veteran's dementia and his military service.

The Board has granted a 60 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected neuro-degenerative atrophy, which is nearly constant and restricts routine daily activities to less than 50 percent of the pre-illness level.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain the Veteran's Army Reserve personnel and medical treatment reports from the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, as these records may contain evidence pertinent to his claim that his left hip strain was incurred in service.

The Board has determined that additional evidentiary development is necessary prior to the adjudication of the appellant's claim for service connection for a left foot disorder, including as secondary to her service-connected right foot disorder. The case is REMANDED for clarification of the March 2008 VA examiner's opinion and further development as outlined.

The Board found that the Veteran's impotence was not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and thus denied the claim for secondary service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development and adjudication due to the submission of new evidence after a previous SSOC was issued.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for otitis media, claimed as recurrent left ear infections, was denied because there is no current diagnosis of such condition and the evidence does not support a finding of any in-service injury or disease that could have caused the current condition.