Other conditions decisions — 2015

The Veteran's umbilical hernia is currently rated at 10 percent, and he contends that his condition has worsened since the last examination. The Board finds another VA examination necessary to determine the current severity of the disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining clinical hospital records from the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Vietnam and medical records from Memorial Hermann Medical Center. A VA examination is also required to determine if the Veteran's primary sclerosing cholangitis was caused by malaria or herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a lung disorder, rib injury (arthritis), and bilateral foot disorder. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or medical nexus to service.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for residuals of a fracture of the left little finger was denied as there is no evidence of limitation of motion or ankylosis that would warrant a higher rating.

The appellant seeks burial in a Department of Veterans Affairs national cemetery for his deceased son, but the service member did not serve the required minimum period of continuous active duty and was not discharged early due to an exception. Therefore, the claim is denied.

The Veteran's ileum adenocarcinoma status post laparotomy with ileocecectomy, which had metastasis to the liver, was granted a 100% disability rating from March 4, 2014, to July 14, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and clarifying his treatment history. The claims of entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 30 percent for beta thalassemia minor and TDIU are also being remanded.

The Board denied service connection for cause of death, finding that the evidence did not support a conclusion that the Veteran's conditions were related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a clarifying medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran has ischemic heart disease and issuing an SOC on the increased rating and effective date issues.

The Veteran is seeking reimbursement for ambulance transportation expenses incurred on March 5, 2013. The appeal is currently in a remanded status due to incomplete records and the need for further clarification of what medical bills were paid by VA, Medicare, or the Veteran.

The Board has determined that there is not sufficient evidence to establish a service connection for the Veteran's low back disorder, either as incurred in or aggravated by service or secondary to his service-connected postoperative residuals of a pilonidal cyst.

The case is being remanded due to the failure of the RO to comply with a previous Board's order to send copies of the Veteran's statements and the August 2014 substantive appeal to attorney Darla Lilley.

The Veteran's dysthymic disorder has been granted service connection and assigned a noncompensable rating, effective December 5, 2008. The current appeal is about the initial evaluation of this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and a need for additional medical opinions. The appellant's request for a videoconference hearing is also noted.

The Veteran's corn, second toe of right foot, warrants a compensable rating based on current symptoms and severity. Service connection for intermittent atrial arrhythmia is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 60 percent for post-phlebitic syndrome left lower extremity, finding that his condition met the criteria for a 60 percent rating based on persistent edema or subcutaneous induration, stasis pigmentation or eczema, and persistent ulceration.

The Veteran's psychoneurosis and gastrointestinal disturbance were manifested as moderate symptoms, but did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected right hand disability, characterized as residuals of a chip fracture of the proximal end of the right fifth metacarpal with periarticular osteopenia, has not been found to warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran died in June 2005. At the time of his death, he was receiving a 60% rating for thrombophlebitis and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) since March 1999. The criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 have not been met.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for ptosis and to reopen her claim for service connection for myasthenia gravis, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between her current disabilities and her military service.