Other conditions decisions — 2014

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to September 20, 2011 for the grant of service connection for superventricular arrhythmias is denied. The last final decision was in August 2005 when the RO denied service connection for an abnormal heartbeat.

The Board denied service connection for an eye disorder (blurred vision) as it was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not related to a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's service-connected head injury is currently evaluated at a 10 percent rating, and the Board found that it does not warrant an increased rating.

The Veteran's appeal for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was denied as he does not have any additional residuals of pinched nerves in the neck due to VA medical care.

The Board denied service connection for cause of death due to lack of new and material evidence, and also denied DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing. The initial rating for chronic phlebitis, deep vein thrombosis, left leg remains at 30 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of March 1, 2010 for adding his wife as a dependent for additional disability compensation. The earliest eligible effective date was July 26, 2003 when the Veteran's total combined rating reached 30 percent.

The Board has ordered additional development due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death may be related to his presumed exposure to Agent Orange during service.

The Veteran's appeal for special adaptive housing was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's marriage to the appellant is questioned due to conflicting statements and evidence. The appellant does not meet the one year marriage requirement for VA benefits, and there are doubts about her claim of a child born before their marriage.

The Veteran died from cardiorespiratory arrest due to acute coronary insufficiency. The Board found no evidence of a service-connected condition that caused or contributed to the death, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.

The Board finds that the appellant was married to the Veteran for at least one year prior to his death and thus qualifies as the surviving spouse, allowing her to be recognized as such for VA benefits.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claim for service connection of her husband's cause of death is not properly developed and requires additional information or evidence before a decision can be made.

The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and his disability rating did not meet the criteria for DIC under section 1318.

The Board has reopened the claim for VA death benefits as the Veteran's surviving spouse due to new evidence received since the last final rating decision. The Appellant is now recognized as the Veteran's surviving spouse for VA purposes and eligible to receive Department of VA death benefits.

The Veteran seeks recognition of his son, A.J.S., as a helpless child for VA benefits due to permanent incapacity for self-support before reaching the age of 18 years. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical evidence and determine if A.J.S. was permanently incapable of self-support at age 18.

The Board found that the Appellant's income exceeded the maximum annual pension rate and is therefore a bar to receiving nonservice-connected death pension benefits.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to an outstanding hearing request. The case will be scheduled for a video-conference hearing.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new examination to assess his service-connected adjustment disorder, as his symptoms may have worsened since the last examination.

The Board has granted an initial rating of 10 percent for steatosis from May 17, 2010 to the present.