Other conditions decisions — 2014

The Board found that the Veteran's endometriosis was present prior to service and not aggravated during service. The laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and interstitial cystitis were not incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for service department verification of the appellant's claimed service in the United States Armed Forces during World War II, including all permutations of his name and units of service provided.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claim for service connection for residuals of a spider bite. However, it is unable to establish service connection due to lack of credible evidence linking the current nerve damage to an in-service injury.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as the medical treatment provided by the Cleveland Clinic Hospital on June 1, 2010 was not for a condition of such a nature that a prudent layperson would have reasonably expected that a delay in treatment would have been hazardous to life or health. The Veteran did not meet the eligibility criteria under VA regulations.

The Veteran's appeal for nonservice-connected pension benefits from June 1, 2010 to January 1, 2011 has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and private treatment records. The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of lead poisoning is pending.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication, including obtaining documentation of HFZ's standing as an appellant in a claim for accrued benefits.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for rectal cancer, including as due to herbicide exposure. The Board has decided that additional development is needed before this matter can be adjudicated.

The Board found that the Veteran's current dermatological disorder was not manifested in service or for many years thereafter, and is not shown to be related to service, including any chemical dioxin exposure. Therefore, service connection for a dermatological disorder is not warranted.

The Board has ordered a remand to determine if the Veteran's duodenal ulcer existed prior to service and was not aggravated by military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's stroke is not related to his service-connected post-operative perirectal cyst, and thus denied service connection for both residuals of a stroke and a stroke disability. The decision is mixed as some issues were granted (residuals of stroke) while others were denied (stroke disability).

The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be metastatic colon cancer, which the Board found was caused by exposure to hydrazine during service. The claim for an initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss is granted.

The Board finds that the Veteran's diagnosed chondromalacia patella of the left knee was not incurred in or aggravated by his service, including as due to a known clinical diagnosis and is not related to any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for intestinal parasitism was denied because he failed to report for a VA examination and did not provide additional medical evidence as requested.

The Veteran's current glioblastoma is related to his exposure to TEB during service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left eye disability, diagnosed as a pterygium, was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is unrelated to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused or contributed to by a service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to obtain additional relevant evidence, including the education benefits file for his daughter and any internal correspondence between the RO and RPO regarding compliance with required claim processing procedures.

The Board found that the Veteran's period of service from April 1981 to December 1983 was under other than honorable conditions due to willful and persistent misconduct, including drug abuse, AWOL, disrespecting an officer, and auto theft. As a result, his character of discharge is considered dishonorable, barring him from VA benefits except for health care.

The Veteran's death was caused by esophageal cancer, which the VA medical opinion concluded is not related to his service or exposure to Agent Orange. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence does not support a link between the cause of death and service.