Other conditions decisions — 2014

The appellant is not the unmarried child of the Veteran for purposes of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits due to her prior marriages, which were terminated by divorce after October 31, 1990.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for apportionment of benefits prior to April 1, 2012 and for an additional apportionment in excess of $75.00 a month from that date.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for gastritis and a right finger disability prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's claim is being remanded to the AOJ (VHA) for consideration of his request for service connection for a dental condition, including gingivitis, solely for treatment purposes.

The Board found that the Veteran's left eye pterygium did not cause visual impairment, disfigurement, conjunctivitis or other compensable symptoms. Therefore, a compensable rating was denied.

The Veteran's tardive dyskinesia is not considered to be caused by VA care, and the Board finds no fault on VA's part.

The Veteran's otalgia (earaches) was not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service. The Board found that the gap between discharge from active duty in 1971 and initial reported symptoms in 2003 was significant.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's schizoaffective disorder was incurred during his active duty service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the appellant's claim for a one-time payment from the FVEC Fund was denied as she died before the filing period for such a claim, and thus has no legal entitlement to the benefit.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of spontaneous pneumothoraces, other than scars is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to address whether any residuals are present and their etiology.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to properly address the Veteran's current address. The issue of entitlement to an effective date earlier than June 21, 2010 for the grant of a TDIU is now pending.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining employment information and updated VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses for treatment at Mid-Michigan Medical Center from December 9 to 11, 2013 was denied because he held other health care coverage (Medicare).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's increased rating claim for a new examination due to insufficient information regarding the severity and frequency of his service-connected syringomyelia-related disorders.

The April 2006 rating decision denied service connection for a liver condition, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including a new VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's peptic ulcer disease.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection, TDIU, and SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance or by reason of being housebound due to inadequate medical opinions in the current record.

The Board has ordered further development to verify the Veteran's service in Thailand and any potential herbicide exposure, as these are crucial for determining whether his current colon disability is related to service. The case will be remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's chronic lymphedema was rated at 20 percent prior to May 7, 2012. Since then, the condition has been manifested by massive board-like edema with constant pain at rest, warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal before the Board could make a decision.