Other conditions decisions — 2012

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The Board denied the Appellant's claim for a one-time payment from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund due to lack of legal merit and because he does not have recognized active military service as required to establish eligibility.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran seeks an increased rating for his stomach disability, which includes cancer.

The Board found that the Veteran's somnambulism and left scapula injury were not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, as there was no clear evidence of an increase in severity beyond the natural progression during service.

The Veteran's service-connected dysthymic disorder renders him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, resulting in the grant of TDIU.

The Board found that the February 1998 rating decision denying a higher rating for compression fractures of D3 and D4 was not based on clear and unmistakable error, as it correctly applied the then-existing regulations.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions and their relationship to his service. The issues on appeal include determining whether the Veteran's acute psychotic episodes and marital problems are related to his active service, as well as evaluating any potential link between his currently diagnosed psychotic disorder not otherwise specified and his in-service treatment of an acute psychotic episode.

The Board found no evidence of an autoimmune disease, Raynaud's phenomenon, or scleroderma that began during service. The Veteran's claims for these conditions were remanded and later reopened based on new evidence, but the Board concluded there was insufficient evidence to establish a connection with military service.

The Veteran's residuals of a compression fracture at T-11 are currently rated as 20 percent disabling, but the Board finds that his symptoms do not warrant an increase in disability rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a currently diagnosed heart condition, and therefore service connection for a heart condition is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence to decide whether the Veteran's pain disorder is a physical manifestation of his service-connected spine disabilities or a separate condition. Further development is needed.

The Veteran's duodenal ulcer is manifested by frequent abdominal pain relieved by antacids, nausea and vomiting, occasional hematemesis and melena. However, there is no anemia or weight loss, and no recurrent incapacitating episodes averaging 10 days or more in duration at least four times a year. The criteria for a rating greater than 20 percent for duodenal ulcer are not met.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a flash burn to the face, including cataracts, is denied as there is no current disability other than refractive error.

The Veteran's service-connected skin cancer residuals, including scars from basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma excisions, are currently rated as noncompensable. The Board has not addressed the additional carcinomas discovered after 2007 in this decision.

The Board found that the appellant's income exceeded the statutory limits for non-service-connected death pension benefits, and therefore denied her claim.

The Board has vacated its decision granting increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities due to the Veteran's death, and dismissed the appeal.

The Veteran's staphylococcus infection and prostate stones are related to his period of military service, and the claims have been granted.

The Board has granted service connection for ulcerative colitis and secondary service connection for primary sclerosing cholangitis, status post liver transplant, based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's SLE was manifested by acute symptoms with frequent exacerbations producing severe impairment of health prior to June 22, 2007. The Board granted a 100 percent disability rating for the period from April 9, 2005 (the day after separation from active service) to June 21, 2007.