Other conditions decisions — 2015

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting evidence regarding the character of the Appellant's service. Clarification from the Department of the Army is needed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's genitourinary symptoms, including prostatitis, testicular pain/epididymitis, and urethral stricture, are manifestations of a pelvic pain syndrome with pelvic floor dysfunction. These conditions became manifest during service in Iraq and are considered to be service-connected.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a skin disorder affecting the buttocks. The VA has ordered an examination to determine if he has any such condition and its relationship to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals at the St. Petersburg RO.

The Board has granted a 100 percent rating for dysthymic disorder, the highest available rating under VA's disability evaluation guidelines. The Veteran is also receiving SMC at the housebound rate due to having a single service-connected disability rated as 100% disabling and another service-connected disability rated at 60%.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining education benefits records and preparing a paid and due audit of DIC benefits. The validity of the overpayment will be addressed.

The Veteran is granted an extension of a temporary total disability rating due to surgical convalescence for his service-connected right foot condition from January 11, 2010, through July 31, 2010.

The Veteran's service-connected retained foreign body injury to the right leg, muscle group XI, is currently rated at 10 percent and does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board cannot proceed with the merits of this case as he is no longer alive.

The Veteran is seeking a compensable evaluation for his service-connected residuals of a fractured right ring finger. The case is being remanded to obtain an adequate VA examination and address the issue of whether his post-service injury in March 1972 contributed to or caused any current symptoms.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including medical examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a hearing via videoconference. The claim of entitlement to payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses will be addressed after the scheduled hearing.

The Veteran's residuals of larynx cancer include hoarseness and difficulty talking, but do not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent as there is no evidence of thickening or nodules of cords, polyps, submucous infiltration, pre-malignant changes on biopsy, constant inability to speak above a whisper, or constant inability to communicate by speech.

The Board has addressed the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating, finding that VA was at fault in creating an overpayment of compensation benefits. The Veteran is entitled to a waiver of recovery due to undue financial hardship.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical care provided at Mercy Hospital on April 30, 2013 was for a condition of such a nature that a prudent layperson would have reasonably expected that delay in seeking immediate medical attention would have been hazardous to his life or health. The Board finds the criteria for reimbursement by VA are met.

The Veteran's claim for payment of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Halifax Medical Center from October 9, 2012 to October 12, 2012 is denied because the Veteran had coverage under Medicare Part A and thus does not meet one of the eligibility criteria for reimbursement.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed residuals of a left elbow injury are not related to his active service and therefore denied his claim.

The Veteran's hallux valgus of the left foot was rated at a maximum of 10 percent since October 1, 2011, and no higher rating is warranted.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a left hand fourth finger fracture that she believes was caused by her service-connected right ankle disability. The Board has ordered a new VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's current left hand fourth finger disability, including whether it is related to her service-connected right ankle disability.

The Board has ordered additional development of the Veteran's claim for service connection for diplopia, monocular of the right eye. The case is now remanded to the AOJ for further review and consideration.