Other conditions decisions — 2014

The case is being remanded for compliance with the remand directive. The Veteran has not been provided proper notice for his claim of TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for joint pains, including as due to an undiagnosed illness from Persian Gulf War service, is being remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as the Veteran's surviving spouse, finding that she did not meet the legal criteria due to a prior valid marriage and other impediments.

The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for additional compensation payable for a dependent spouse. The Board finds that the earliest date of claim received by VA was February 1, 2007, and thus the effective date is March 1, 2007.

The Veteran's death is the basis for this appeal, but as the Appellant has died, the Board does not have jurisdiction to proceed with the merits of the case.

The Veteran's right thumb/hand disability was caused by a March 2009 VA surgical procedure, but the additional disability is not considered reasonably foreseeable or the result of carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of VA.,The Veteran's left leg drop foot disability was caused by an August 2009 VA surgical procedure. The surgery removed a lipoma instead of the Baker's cyst and resulted in additional disability.

The appellant's claim for an extension of the delimiting date beyond November 11, 2009 for education benefits under Chapter 35 is being remanded due to incomplete documentation in her claims file.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for a one-time payment from the FVEC Fund as her late husband did not have qualifying service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The Board has determined that a VA medical examination is necessary to evaluate the nature and etiology of the Veteran's current dental condition, including whether it is at least as likely as not due to in-service trauma, particularly any purported in-service dental malpractice. The case will be remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for alcoholism and its residuals is denied as there is no legal basis for the claim due to the prohibition of compensation for a disability resulting from a veteran's own alcohol or drug abuse.

The Board found that the Veteran's left hypermobile patella existed prior to her entry into service and was not aggravated by service, thus denying her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at a non-VA facility from January 22, 2010, to January 27, 2010 was denied as he refused transfer to VA facilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing on the issue of entitlement to a higher percentage of eligibility under the Post-9/11 GI Bill Program.

The Board has restored service connection for cluster headaches and trigeminal neuralgia, effective April 16, 2009 and October 23, 2008 respectively. The appellant's cluster headaches occur at a rate in excess of 3 times a month and cause marked interference with his employment.

The VA Pension Maintenance Center (PMC) continued the Veteran's $237 monthly improved nonservice-connected disability pension award, effective January 1, 2011 based on information received from a Social Security Administration (SSA) data match indicating that he was continuing to receive $8,976 annual income from SSA benefits.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to obtain relevant records, including SSA and private treatment records related to the Veteran's daughter prior to her reaching age 18.

The Board has found that the appellant's military service could not be corroborated and denied her eligibility for VA benefits. The case is being remanded to schedule a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's preexisting bilateral pterygium was aggravated by service, and therefore grants service connection for bilateral pterygium with scars and dry eye.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for jungle rot was denied as there is no evidence of a diagnosed condition during or within one year after service, and the Board finds that the lay statements do not establish a current disability.

The Board has reinstated the Veteran's permanent and total (100 percent) rating for service-connected pigmented villonodular synovitis of the left hip, effective June 4, 2002.