Other conditions decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have qualifying service as a member of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, including recognized guerrillas, in the service of the United States Armed Forces. Therefore, she is not eligible for a one-time payment from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund.

The Board has granted service connection for polychondritis and assigned an initial 10 percent rating for Reiter's syndrome. The Veteran's polychondritis is considered to be secondary to his service-connected Reiter's syndrome.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right shin disorders. The Veteran's knee conditions are currently rated at 10% based on their current functional impairment.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for additional development of the three issues on appeal, including scheduling VA examinations and obtaining medical records from a correctional facility where the Veteran was incarcerated.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a broken arm and residuals of a head injury are denied as there is no credible evidence to support these claims.

The Veteran's right eye chorioretinitis with small scotoma is currently evaluated at 10 percent, which reflects the severity of his condition as it does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation due to incapacitating episodes or visual impairment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, ischemic cardiomyopathy due to cardiac failure, was not caused by service or his service-connected conditions. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to a need to verify the Veteran's status as a prisoner of war (POW) and consider all relevant evidence, including the VAB Form #32 dated in March 1948.

The Board found that recovery of the overpayment would not be against equity and good conscience, considering the appellant's minimal fault in creating the debt, her current financial state, and the fact that repayment would not cause financial hardship.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for the postoperative residuals of seminoma of the left testicle was denied because there is no evidence that his condition originated in or is related to his active duty. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has not been found to warrant a compensable rating.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher initial disability rating for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was denied as there is no active disease or residual symptoms associated with the condition. The issue of service connection for PTSD remains pending, and the appeal for non-service-connected pension has been withdrawn.

The Board found no evidence to support a causal relationship between the Veteran's upper-GI disorder and his service-connected disabilities, concluding that the condition is anatomic rather than functional.

The Veteran's right eye disorder, including cataracts, is not service-connected as it did not manifest during or as a result of his military service. The hypertension claim has been granted with an initial rating of 10%.

The Veteran's skin disorder, including recurrent basal cell carcinoma, is being remanded for additional development to determine if it is related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The issues of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for mitral and aortic insufficiency with mitral stenosis and chronic atrial fibrillation, and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability have been dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case due to the appellant's failure to report for a scheduled hearing and her request for a videoconference hearing instead.

The Board has reopened the claim and granted service connection for a bilateral hip disability, finding that new evidence received since the March 2004 rating decision relates to an unestablished fact of a causal relationship between the current bilateral hip disability (degenerative joint disease) and service. The Veteran sustained a hip injury in service after jumping from a truck.

The case is being remanded due to difficulties in contacting the appellant and her attorney, and a hearing before a member of the Board at the RO is scheduled.

The Board has determined that additional abdominal disability, including wound infection and abdominal weakness, is related to the August 2007 VA surgery. The Veteran's claim will be remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for non-service-connected pension benefits is being remanded due to changes in his income and net worth since the last eligibility verification report. He must provide updated financial information, including a divorce decree if applicable.