Other conditions decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the appellant's left testicle is half the size of a normal testicle and is tender, meeting the criteria for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a fractured left arm is granted. The lung disability claim remains pending as the Board did not address its merits in this decision.

The Veteran's neuritis of the left and right lower extremities has been rated at 10 percent before March 12, 2012. Since then, he is rated at 20 percent for each affected limb.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination and providing an addendum opinion to address the Veteran's eye disorders. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his right and left eye disorders.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's keratoconus was incurred in service and is aggravated by his active duty, warranting a compensable evaluation of 30 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by or a result of his service-connected perceptive deafness, and there is no evidence to support a finding that his tongue cancer was related to his presumed exposure to herbicides. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a dose estimate of ionizing radiation exposure and review by the VA Under Secretary for Benefits under 38 C.F.R. § 3.311(c).

The Board has remanded the case for a full accounting of the debt and to determine whether there is a legal bar to waiver or if waiver would be against equity and good conscience.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back disability and determined that his current left foot drop is related to his service-connected back disability. The appeal regarding left foot drop will be remanded due to a lack of available medical records.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the reduction of the rating for service-connected bladder cancer residuals. The Board dismissed this issue due to withdrawal. Service connection for Wegener's granulomatosis was not established as the evidence did not support a finding that the condition began during or was caused by military service, including any exposures.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for Hodgkin's lymphoma has been reopened and is now pending before the Board. The case will be remanded to obtain information about any exposure during his June 1964 training course, determine if there is a relationship between the condition and active service, and provide an appropriate VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death prior to a decision being made on the claim.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected right knee disability and its impact on employment. The issue of entitlement to TDIU has also been raised by the record.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for gout was reopened due to new evidence, but the claim remains denied as there is no established link between his current condition and military service.

The Veteran's service during the period from October 2005 to November 2007 was considered active duty for purposes of Chapter 33 benefits, qualifying him for a 100% benefit level under the Post-9/11 GI Bill Program.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of cold injury to the bilateral upper and lower extremities, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure to cold weather during combat service.

The Veteran's claim for non-service-connected pension benefits is denied as he has no wartime service.

The Veteran's service-connected right eye disability does not meet the criteria for a TDIU as he does not have a single service-connected disability evaluated at least 60 percent disabling. The Director of Compensation and Pension Service determined that a claim for TDIU on an extraschedular basis is not warranted.

The Board found that the appellant's myasthenia gravis and scoliosis did not manifest during or are otherwise related to her active duty for training (ACDUTRA) service, thus denying both claims.