Other conditions decisions — 2014

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for Wegener's granulomatosis, finding that it did not have onset in-service and is not related to presumed Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic degenerative changes of the second metacarpal of the right hand have been characterized by pain, stiffness, cold sensation, occasional numbness, decreased manual dexterity, and problems with lifting and carrying. The disability has not been found to warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's bilateral eye condition is denied as it was not caused by VA medical treatment, and the event did not result from carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault on the part of the VA health care providers.

The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death, metastatic pancreatic cancer, is related to herbicide exposure during service and grants service connection for the cause of death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to a lack of adequate reasons and bases for its determination that a VA examination was not warranted. The case is now returned to the AOJ for further consideration.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a mental capacity assessment to determine if he understood his nonservice-connected pension benefits and obligations.

The Veteran's claim for waiver of overpayment of Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) education benefits in the amount of $15,118.32 is granted due to a lack of valid creation of the overpayment and his enrollment at Tarrant County College during the period when he was on active duty.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance expenses incurred on April 4, 2009 and April 13, 2009 has been resolved in full by the Columbia, Missouri Medical Center. The appeal is dismissed as there remains no case in controversy.

The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for Myasthenia Gravis, as there was no medical evidence showing it had its onset during active duty or within one year after discharge. The Veteran's symptoms were noted to have started in 1998, seven years after his discharge.

The Veteran's service-connected left lung spontaneous pneumothorax does not render him unemployable, as his cardiac conditions and other nonservice-connected disabilities are the primary causes of his inability to work.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an adjustment disorder was denied as there is no evidence of a chronic psychiatric condition that began during or immediately after his military service.

The Veteran does not have a right eye disability, to include residuals of a scratched cornea, that is etiologically related to his active service and the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient verification of the Veteran's claimed exposure to toxic chemicals or radiation during service. The claim will be reconsidered and a new decision will be made based on the additional evidence.

The Veteran's claim for a respiratory sleep disability, including as secondary to service-connected asbestosis, is denied due to the lack of current evidence of such a condition.

The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against finding a left hip disorder incurred in or aggravated by active military service, and may not be presumed to have been so incurred.

The Veteran's teeth were extracted during service, and the Board found that these extractions do not meet the legal requirements for service connection for outpatient dental treatment purposes.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and a VA examination to determine if T.L.H. is permanently incapable of self-support prior to attaining the age of 18.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim as he died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for chronic conjunctivitis, which he claims was caused by in-service incidents. The Board has determined that further examination and development are needed to determine the relationship between his current eye condition and military service.

The Board has granted service connection for a substance abuse disorder, to include alcohol and cocaine abuse, as secondary to the service-connected PTSD. The lung disorder issue is pending further examination and opinion.