Other conditions decisions — 2012

The Board has ordered additional development to determine the authority for payment or reimbursement of medical services received by the Veteran at Manatee Memorial Hospital on November 3-5, 2008. The case will be returned to the RO for further review.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of Vincent's angina (trench mouth), including missing teeth, finding that there was no evidence linking his current dental condition to his in-service trench mouth.

The Veteran's initial ratings for bilateral shin splints prior to May 11, 2007 are granted at 10 percent. Ratings in excess of 10 percent are denied on and after May 11, 2007.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses was dismissed due to the death of the appellant during the appeal process.

The Veteran's gynecological disorder and menstrual irregularities are not service-connected, as there is no evidence of a disease or injury incurred in service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further development, including a clarification of whether he has loss of use of either foot due to his service-connected bilateral hallux valgus with metatarsalgia.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left eye chronic conjunctivitis was incurred in service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's post-herpes neuritis of the hip is rated at 10 percent, and service connection for degenerative disc disease with myofascial pain and chronic headaches is granted on a direct basis.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of any residual disability from the appendectomy in service, and thus denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's eye and vision disorders did not have their onset during service, and there was no evidence of aggravation. The pre-existing conditions were attributed to a childhood injury.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication due to a lack of an addendum medical opinion. The claims are inextricably intertwined with each other.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cardiovascular disability. The claim will be returned for further development and consideration.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for periodontal disease, finding that it is secondary to his service-connected diabetes.

The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnosed disorders involving his left wrist and hand are not related to his periods of service, including as residuals of inservice injuries.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to his satisfaction with the granted service connection and assigned ratings for patellar chondroplasty and torn left meniscus. The remaining claim of an increased rating for residuals of a fracture of the lower left leg is dismissed.

The Board finds that the Veteran's complications of a ventral hernia repair, to include a punctured bowel, are not due to carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on VA's part in furnishing medical treatment. The proximate cause of these complications was an event that was reasonably foreseeable.

The Board found that the Veteran's hepatic cysts, diagnosed as benign stable hepatic cysts, were not incurred in or aggravated by active service and could not be presumed to have been incurred due to his military service. The VA examiner opined that these liver cysts were unrelated to any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's current skin cancer is found to be related to the solar keratosis he had in service, and thus service connection for a skin disease (specifically squamous cell carcinoma) is granted.

The Veteran seeks disability compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for residuals of left partial maxillectomy, left orbital floor reconstruction, and medial canthal ligament repair surgery, hospitalization following such surgeries, and subsequent radiation therapy provided by VA. The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the proximate cause of any additional disabilities found.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for residuals of recession of the rectus muscle of the right eye and recession of the oblique muscle of the left eye is denied. The Veteran's bilateral photophobia associated with these conditions is also denied a higher than 10 percent rating.