Other conditions decisions — 2015

The Veteran's case is being remanded due to technical difficulties with the video conference hearing. The Veteran will be scheduled for a new hearing before a member of the Board sitting at the RO.

The Board found that the Veteran did not make an irrevocable election for education benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill program (Chapter 33), and thus denied the appeal.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a low back disorder and granted it, finding that his preexisting condition worsened during service.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected postoperative residuals of a duodenal ulcer with antrectomy, vagotomy, and Billroth II with reflux gastritis, hiatal hernia, and esophagitis is considered to have contributed substantially or materially to his death from metastatic carcinoid tumor. The Board grants the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board denied the appellant's request for a Government-furnished headstone or grave marker for the Veteran, as the death occurred before the eligibility criteria set by law.

The Veteran's lung condition, diagnosed as bilateral pulmonary nodules, is being remanded for additional development including obtaining treatment records and providing a new VA examination to determine if the condition is related to service exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's educational assistance benefits were denied for his vocational flight training program initiated in October 2011 due to the lack of a valid first-class medical certificate on the first day he began his training, as required by VA regulations.

The Board denied service connection for avascular necrosis of the hips and osteoporosis, finding that these conditions were not related to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the case must be remanded for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding whether there was a medical emergency and whether appropriate VA facilities were available.

The Board denied a waiver of recovery of an overpayment of Department of Veterans Affairs educational benefits in the amount of $9,343.32 due to fault on the part of the Veteran and his educational institution.

The Board has ordered additional development to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral eye disability and obtain Goldmann charts from a previous examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for conjunctivitis of the right eye, which is secondary to his service-connected pterygium of the right eye, has been remanded due to scheduling issues.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) based on presumed exposure to Agent Orange during his military service in Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to TDIU remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal for special monthly pension was dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board found that the Veteran's undescended right testicle, which was removed due to cryptorchidism (a congenital defect), did not have a superimposed disease or injury during service. Therefore, service connection for a right testicle disorder is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's myelodysplastic syndrome is related to his service, including any exposure to Agent Orange while in Vietnam. The current opinion from the July 2014 VA examiner was inadequate as it did not address whether MDS is directly related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a lack of verification of service. The appellant's claims for nonservice-connected pension and one-time payment from FVEC Fund are pending.

The Board finds that the Veteran's transfusion reaction with blood antibody D is not a chronic disability, and therefore does not warrant service connection.