Other conditions decisions — 2012

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a TMJ condition and is granting it, finding that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development and examination, including obtaining relevant medical records and arranging for a VA examination to address the complex medical questions raised by this case.

The Board finds that the evidentiary record supports the Veteran's claim that he has NAFLD, which (at least in part) was caused by his service-connected type 2 diabetes. Service connection for NAFLD is granted.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no service connection is granted for the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claim for non-service-connected pension benefits is denied as he does not have wartime service.

The Veteran's claim for educational assistance benefits related to his on-the-job training program with the Federal Corrections Institution-Williamsburg is denied as it was not received within one year of when he began the program.

The Veteran's claims for additional dependency benefits for his stepchildren, R.J. and J.L., were denied as they both reached the age of 18 prior to their marriage to the Veteran. The claim for additional dependency benefits for his son, J.C., was granted with an effective date of June 1, 2002.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for nonservice-connected VA pension benefits as his service in the New Philippine Scouts did not meet the statutory or regulatory requirements necessary to establish eligibility.

The Veteran's initial evaluations for his right great toe and left great toe hallux deformities have been denied. The right great toe has a moderately severe foot injury, while the left great toe is rated as severe post-operative hallux valgus.

The Veteran sustained a right fifth metacarpal fracture during active service in January 1958. He has experienced chronic symptoms of the fracture residuals since then, including pain, limitation of motion, stiffness, and sclerosis over the site of the fracture. The Board finds that these residuals are related to his in-service injury and grants service connection for right fifth metacarpal fracture residuals.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits due to his excessive net worth, which included a joint annuity and other assets. The Board found that some part of the corpus of the net worth should be consumed for the veteran's maintenance.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than February 18, 2009 and a compensable evaluation for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The Veteran was not service connected prior to February 18, 2009, and there is no evidence of any compensable residuals from the condition.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing Social Security Administration records and VA records from February 2010. The claim will be reconsidered after these records are obtained.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) as a result of in-service exposure to herbicides. The Board has determined that further development, including obtaining medical opinions and records, is necessary before the issue can be decided.

The Veteran's right leg pain and infection following his surgeries are granted, but the numbness in his right leg is denied. The decision is mixed as some issues were granted while others were not.

The Board finds that service connection for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, claimed as due to pesticide exposure during active service, is granted.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have recognized active military service for the purposes of obtaining the one-time payment from the FVEC Fund, and therefore his claim must be denied.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for a one-time payment from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund due to lack of qualifying military service, as certified by the National Personnel Records Center.

The Veteran is entitled to payment for unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Beloit Memorial Hospital on September 17, 2008 and September 23, 2008 due to respiratory issues that were considered a medical emergency.

The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of Reiter's syndrome and the Board finds that service connection for this condition is denied.