Other conditions decisions — 2014

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and additional development of evidence.

The appeal is being remanded due to missing documents and the need to review the 1996 rating decision regarding eligibility for VA home loan guaranty benefits.

The Veteran is seeking increased evaluations for his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities. The case is REMANDED to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) for a new VA examination in order to assess the current severity of his bilateral knee disability.

The Veteran's growth hormone deficiency, which manifested during active duty and is presumed to have originated in service, has been granted service connection.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of his request for a hearing.

The Veteran's appeal was denied because he did not file a timely notice of disagreement with the October 2010 decision regarding his entitlement to Chapter 33 educational assistance at the 70 percent level.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is not eligible for educational assistance under Chapter 1606 or Chapter 1607 due to his change in status from active duty to inactive ready reserve (IRR) before completing his full six-year Air Force Reserve enlistment obligation.

The Veteran's loss of use of his lower extremities is primarily due to nonservice-connected disabilities, and the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for specially adapted housing have not been met.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected pneumococcal cerebral meningitis does not warrant an increased disability rating or TDIU as there are no active residuals of the disease and his current psychiatric symptoms are not considered to be related to the meningitis.

The Board found that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claim of a tongue disorder being related to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's GTS with associated OCD and dysthymia is attributable to service, granting his claim for service connection.

The VA has denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's pleural cavity injury secondary to a shell fragment wound and spontaneous pneumothorax, as his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected residuals of a laceration of the left index finger and any associated residual nerve damage.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for her left hip tenosynovitis has been granted at a 10 percent level, and no higher.

The Veteran's left lower extremity has lost all effective function, and the Board finds that amputation with a suitable prosthetic appliance would equally serve his needs. Therefore, SMC under the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 3.350(a) for loss of use of the left lower extremity is granted.

The Veteran's initial rating for left (minor) shoulder and chest gunshot wound residuals with retained metal fragments and scar residuals has been granted at a 10 percent evaluation. The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability was initially rated as noncompensable, but the November 2013 rating decision created a staged initial rating of 20 percent for the period from October 30, 2013.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a broken nose and left foot laceration, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus to service or any presumptive conditions.

The Board found no evidence of a separate groin disability and determined that the Veteran's current groin pain is related to his already service-connected left hip disability. The appeal was denied.

The Board found that the appellant did not have qualifying service and therefore does not meet the requirements for basic eligibility to receive a one-time payment from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund.

The Veteran's Aldie's tonic pupils do not result in a compensable loss of visual acuity, impairment of field of vision, disfigurement, or incapacitating episodes. Therefore, the criteria for a compensable rating were not met.