Other conditions decisions — 2013

The Board found that the appellant's discharge from active service was under dishonorable conditions due to willful and persistent misconduct. As a result, his claim for VA benefits is denied because he cannot be considered insane at the time of the offense.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for a Travel Board Hearing and further development. The issues of entitlement to payment or reimbursement of unauthorized private medical expenses incurred on March 22, 2012 and May 17, 2012 are pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for an adequate examination and opinion regarding his respiratory disorder, which may be related to asbestos exposure during service. The issue will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Board has determined that the appellant's discharge from service was under other than honorable conditions, which constitutes a bar to VA benefits. The claim of reopening the character of his discharge for service connection purposes is considered 'mixed' due to new evidence submitted not raising a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for service-connected residuals of a gunshot wound to the left chest is denied as there is no evidence of respiratory impairment constituting a disability.

The Veteran's current diagnosed bilateral chondromalacia of patella was incurred in active duty military service.

The Veteran's cancer of the tonsils and lymph nodes are granted service connection due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during active service.

The Board found that the reduction of the rating for left eye vasculitis with macular involvement from 30 percent to 10 percent was proper, and denied the claim for an increased rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection due to insufficient evidence and to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between his PTSD and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

The Board found no evidence of a current psychiatric disability related to service and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Veteran's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma/mantle cell lymphoma was not found to be related to service, including exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Veteran does not have Raynaud's disease that is attributable to active service and the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the appellant is not a veteran under applicable United States law and therefore, ineligible for compensation from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including an additional VA examination to evaluate her service-connected costochondritis and chest wall pain, including pericarditis.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection by aggravation for the residuals of a preexisting right shoulder injury. However, further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's preexisting condition was permanently aggravated during service and whether he currently has residuals of his preexisting condition.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining relevant service and VA treatment records, as well as any investigation reports from the Veteran's military police units. The examiner is requested to provide an updated medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current nature, extent and severity of her bilateral foot calluses disability. All outstanding VA treatment records dating from January 2011 to the present should be associated with the claims file.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for congestive heart failure (CHF), secondary to his service-connected hypertension, was denied in a February 2008 rating decision. The evidence received since then does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development. The Board will consider whether service connection can be granted based on the merits of his claim, including considering if his elbow disorder is related to his wrist injuries or if it has been aggravated by them.

The Board has denied the Veteran's request for waiver of recovery of an overpayment of VA compensation benefits, including the issue of whether the overpayment was properly created.