Other conditions decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to missing VA treatment records. The AOJ will obtain these records and attempt to reconstruct the remainder of the record.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records, including a missing copy of the Veteran's military personnel file and an illegible Department of the Army Discharge Review Board Case Report. The claim will be reconsidered after these records are obtained.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Unity Hospital on December 4, 2011 due to lack of prior authorization and failure to meet eligibility criteria under VA regulations.

The Veteran's claim for educational assistance benefits is denied as his eligibility ended on November 13, 1985 and any remaining entitlement would have required qualifying service or conversion to Chapter 30 benefits.

The Veteran's application for payment or reimbursement of private medical expenses incurred on January 9, 2012 was timely filed. The claim is being remanded to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) for a merits adjudication.

The Board has determined that the Veteran, who died in 1984, is not eligible for a Government-furnished headstone or grave marker due to his death occurring before the effective date of the law allowing such benefits.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA orthopedic examination and obtaining additional medical records. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for residuals of a right distal ulna fracture will be reconsidered.

The Board found that the Veteran's current diverticulitis is not related to her in-service stomach cramps and constipation, and thus denied her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral varicose veins of the lower extremities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, as his overall combined disability rating is 20 percent and he does not meet the criteria for a TDIU on a schedular basis. The VA examiner found that the Veteran's varicose veins impacted his ability to work, but the SSA determined that the impairment caused by nonservice-connected back disorder precluded full-time competitive work at any exertional level.

The Veteran's current gastrointestinal disorders were not caused by any in-service event and are not related to active service. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that his current gastrointestinal disorders are proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities, including medications taken for these disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart condition is a congenital defect and not service-connected.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the current severity of the appellant's service-connected left remote pubic fracture with residual pain.

The Board determined that the appellant's discharge was under dishonorable conditions due to willful and persistent misconduct, but found no evidence of insanity at the time. As a result, his character of discharge bars him from receiving VA benefits.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for chest pain and gastrointestinal (GI) disabilities, but has not determined whether these conditions are related to service. The decision is mixed as some issues have been granted while others have not.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU rating has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing the appeal as there are no longer any issues to consider.

The Veteran's hives and urticaria are rated at 30 percent disabling since May 23, 2014. The condition affects more than 20 but less than 40 percent of the entire body or exposed areas.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination to assess his respiratory symptoms and determine the severity of his service-connected pleural plaques.

The Veteran's degenerative joint disease with mild dextroscoliosis of the lumbar spine is rated at 10 percent since September 21, 2007.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records from Aurora Health Care in March 2014.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder, bilateral foot disorder, and respiratory disorder due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.