Other conditions decisions — 2015

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hair loss is not related to his service and has denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate consideration of the impact of pain medication on the Veteran's ability to work.

The case is being remanded for further development and consideration of the issues related to the Veteran's death, including entitlement to non-service connected death pension benefits and accrued benefits. The service connection issue remains on appeal as it pertains to the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to address whether the Veteran's service-connected low back disability caused or aggravated his restless leg syndrome. The claim will be readjudicated after this development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left lower extremity disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting an examination.

The Veteran's spinal cord infarction is now service-connected, and the Board has granted this claim. The TDIU and SMC claims are being remanded for further development.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including a VA examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's foot fungus.

The Board is remanding the case to verify whether the Veteran and Appellant legally divorced, as this finding could affect the rights of V.A.P. (now V.P.W.).

The Board finds that the Veteran's back disability, diagnosed as spondylolisthesis, was first identified during service and is therefore considered to have been incurred in service. The Veteran's claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of a shrapnel wound to the right hand third digit have included pain, limitation of motion, weakness, swelling, and loss of grip strength. For the entire increased rating period from March 23, 2011, these symptoms more nearly approximate right hand third digit extension limited by more than 30 degrees.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right and left upper extremity neurological impairments are secondarily related to his service-connected degenerative changes, cervical spine. As such, these claims are granted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to the need for a VA examination and for obtaining relevant medical records.

The Board denied the Appellant's claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance benefits prior to August 25, 2010, under Chapter 35 due to the lack of a valid application and the one-year waiting period before the date of her claim.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a lung disorder, including as secondary to exposure to ionizing radiation during service. The Board finds additional development is needed due to the lack of records regarding his alleged exposure and the need for a dose reconstruction.

The Board denied service connection for stroke residuals, including as due to herbicide exposure (Agent Orange), finding that the Veteran's July 2010 stroke is not causally or etiologically related to service.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for his service-connected left knee disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating higher than 20 percent for chondromalacia patella with degenerative joint disease, and denied a separate rating in excess of 30 percent for limitation of extension prior to May 29, 2013, and beginning May 29, 2013.

The Board has determined that there is no nexus between the Veteran's current diagnosis of loss of front teeth and service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that remand is warranted to obtain additional VA treatment records which may be evidence of an informal claim for entitlement to a total disability evaluation on the basis of individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU).

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for waiver of overpayment of VA pension benefits was denied as the Board found that the Veteran was solely at fault in creating the debt and that recovery would result in unjust enrichment.