Other conditions decisions — 2015

The Board has remanded the case due to an undelivered hearing notification letter, and the appellant's current address needs to be determined for a Travel Board hearing.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and referring the TDIU claim to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU.

The Board has denied the appellant's claim for dependency and indemnity compensation benefits, which is a prerequisite to her claim for special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance or being housebound. As such, her claim for special monthly compensation is also denied.

The VA denied the claim by Memorial Hermann Healthcare System (MHHS) for payment of unauthorized medical treatment provided to a Veteran at Memorial Hermann Woodlands Hospital on February 11, 2012.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current disability of osteomyelitis of the mouth or any dental condition, and thus service connection is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in the factual premise regarding the onset of the Veteran's skin disorder and a need for an addendum opinion addressing presumed exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's service-connected left foot disability is characterized as moderately severe, warranting a 20 percent evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's gout was not incurred in service and is unrelated to exposure to cold temperatures. As a result, the claim for service connection for gout is denied.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for retroactive payment of Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits for a period prior to June 4, 2011. The effective date is set at January 18, 2011.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and a need for a VA dental examination.

The Veteran's overpayment of $6,390.00 in educational assistance benefits was denied as the investigation revealed fraudulent enrollment and non-attendance.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for disorders of the left hand and right eye due to incomplete records from Fort Hood.

The Veteran's service treatment records do not show any current diagnosis of restrictive airway disease, histoplasmosis, or lung disability. The Board finds that the evidence does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The VA determined that the appellant's income exceeded the maximum limit for non-service-connected death pension, thus denying her benefits.

The Board found that service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is not warranted, as there was no evidence linking his death to any conditions incurred or aggravated during service.

The Veteran's estranged spouse was granted an apportionment of 20 percent of the Veteran's VA compensation benefits for the entire period on appeal, effective December 1, 2010.

The Veteran's current diagnosis of degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the right leg was not chronic in service and has not been continuous since service separation. The Board finds that DJD did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service separation, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology since service separation. Therefore, the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right leg disorder, including DJD, is denied.

The Board denied an effective date prior to August 29, 2003 for the award of DIC benefits as the helpless child of a veteran due to the appellant's abandonment of earlier claims and failure to submit additional evidence.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claim of service connection for cause of death. The claim is denied as there is no direct evidence linking the Veteran's post-gastrectomy syndrome or left varicocele to his death.

The evidence clearly and unmistakably shows that the Veteran's connective tissue disorder, to include Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, pre-existed service and was not aggravated by service.