Other conditions decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not have an extrapyramidal disorder attributable to his military service and that it was not caused or made worse by any service-connected disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection for an extrapyramidal disorder is denied.

The Veteran is entitled to an effective date of May 18, 2004 for the award of a 30 percent rating for prostatitis and epididymitis with epididymal cysts. The disability required continuous intensive management from May 18, 2004 through April 30, 2008.

The appellant is not recognized as the surviving spouse of the Veteran for VA death benefits purposes due to her marriage being less than one year prior to his death and lack of a child born of their marriage.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for residuals of a back injury. However, further development is required as there is no in-service injury or disease that can be linked to his current disability. The right hip disorder claim remains pending.

The Veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits was denied as he did not serve during a period of war, making him ineligible for the benefit.

The Board finds that the Veteran's MDS and AML were caused by his military service, specifically his exposure to Agent Orange. The cause of death was also attributed to his MDS and AML.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining relevant treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and severity of the Veteran's cold injury residuals and onychomyosis of the right and left foot.

The Board has reopened the claims for rectal prolapse and a skin disorder of the feet, but service connection is not granted as the evidence does not establish that these conditions are related to military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to conflicting diagnoses and need for a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected restrictive lung disease is totally disabling, based on a lung diffusion score of nine percent of predicted normal. As such, the Veteran is granted a 100 percent evaluation for his service-connected restrictive lung disease.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to incomplete records of his left knee disability, specifically the May 2011 surgery performed by Dr. Shine at Firelands Hospital.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a stomach disorder and bilateral eye disorder. The stomach disorder claim was denied as there is no evidence linking it to service, while the visual impairment noted at entry into service is considered presumed due to its presence upon enlistment.

The Board found that the Veteran's current lung disability, attributed to a known clinical diagnosis of benign fibrotic granuloma of the right lung (and its surgical residuals), was not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service.

The Board has ordered additional development to obtain medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection. The issues are whether his muscle and joint disorders were caused by or aggravated by active service, as well as if they are related to any already service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of right testicular cancer and lymphedema, finding that there was no evidence to support these conditions being related to his military service or herbicide exposure.,Specifically, the Board determined that the Veteran's testicular cancer did not manifest during active duty or within one year after separation, and is not otherwise related to a disease, injury, or event during active service. The lymphedema of the right leg was also found not to be related to an in-service disease, injury, or event.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected respiratory disability.

The Board has determined that the appellant's neurological condition of numbness, parasthesias, and tingling in both upper extremities (hands) is secondary to his service-connected psychiatric disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for additional development due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran and his representative. The AOJ will consider this new evidence in their review of the case.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's periampullary adenocarcinoma is not etiologically related to his in-service gunshot wound or presumed exposure to Agent Orange, and thus service connection cannot be established.

The Veteran's initial evaluation for narcolepsy was granted at an 80 percent rating effective from November 22, 2004. The claim of reopening a left shoulder disorder is also granted.