Other conditions decisions — 2013

The Board finds that the Veteran's current urinary tract disorders, including LUTS, recurrent UTIs, and urethritis, were not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service.

The Board denied service connection for a left hand disorder, including degenerative joint disease and Dupuytren's contracture, finding that the disorders are not related to service or any service-connected disability. The claim is remanded for further development.

The Veteran died of nonservice-connected causes and the appellant's income exceeds the maximum annual pension rate for death pension benefits. Therefore, she is not entitled to these benefits.

The Veteran's drug addiction and polysubstance abuse were not incurred in the line of duty due to his own willful misconduct. The Veteran does not have a diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder. Hearing loss and tinnitus are not shown in service or within the first post-service year.

The Veteran's left leg disability, manifested by complete paralysis from September 8, 2008, warrants an 80 percent disability rating effective September 8, 2008.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of a shell fragment wound to the scrotum have been granted an initial 20 percent disability evaluation.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as an eligible surviving spouse for purposes of receiving VA DIC and death pension benefits due to the timing of her marriage to the Veteran which occurred less than one year prior to his death.

The case is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion and reviewing new documents submitted by the Veteran. Service connection will be determined based on the merits of the claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the current status of his pilonidal sinus condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability and found that new and material evidence has been received. The issue of whether the Veteran's current back disability is related to his military service remains under consideration.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including a new VA examination and consideration of the evidence.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertensive vascular disease and an increased rating for chronic adjustment disorder as there is no current diagnosis of either condition, and the evidence does not show that they are related to service.

The appeal is being remanded to schedule a videoconference hearing for the appellant due to her request. The Veteran's death cause service connection issue remains on appeal.

The Board has been notified of the appellant's withdrawal of his appeal regarding service connection for sarcoma, soft tissue cancer. As a result, the appeal is dismissed.

The appellant's request for an extension of her delimiting date beyond December 18, 2010, for Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance benefits was denied. The case is being remanded to schedule the appellant for a hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the eligibility requirements for VA educational benefits under Chapters 30 and 33, Title 38, United States Code, or Chapter 1606 of Title 10, United States Code due to a lack of requisite service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, pancreatic cancer, was not incurred as a result of service-connected disability or any incident of service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service treatment records and a need for additional medical examination. The Veteran's neck and back injuries are being reviewed, with an emphasis on determining whether they were incurred during active duty or aggravated by such.

The Veteran's unauthorized private medical expenses incurred on December 29-31, 2009 for bypass surgery were not authorized by VA and he is not eligible for reimbursement under the Veterans Millennium Health Care Act.

The Veteran's daughter is granted a revised beginning date of September 8, 2009 for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits under the provisions of Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code.