Other conditions decisions — 2016

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining information about herbicide exposure and providing a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's colon cancer.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for the Veteran's residuals of a shell fragment wound to the right forearm, effective from the date of his claim through November 12, 2013.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a neck disorder was granted, with a rating of 100% effective from the date of the decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to new evidence submitted after the most recent supplemental statement of the case. The issues of entitlement to specially adapted housing and a special home adaptation, as well as special monthly compensation based on loss of use of the right foot, are being addressed.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claim for an increased rating for his narcolepsy.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for postoperative herniated nucleus pulposus, L5-S1 was denied. The current 40 percent rating has been in effect since May 1, 1991 and is protected.

The Board denied the Appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that esophageal cancer was not caused by or substantially contributed to by a disability incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death before the Board could make a decision.

The Board found that payments to the Veteran's fiduciaries from January 2005 to May 2006 were proper and may not be reissued directly to the Veteran.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if the Veteran has any current allergic process in his eyes that is productive of irritation and itching.

The Board denied compensation benefits pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for additional disability of the feet claimed to have resulted from VA surgeries in July and September 1991, finding that new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim or raise a possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right and left foot conditions are not related to his service, including boot camp or active duty training. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or aggravation.

The Board found that the Veteran's current enthesopathy at the right distal Achilles tendon with contracture is more likely due to his history as a runner, not the 1985 steroid injection. The effects of the steroid injection are considered reasonably foreseeable and thus do not meet the criteria for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for status post umbilical hernia repair is denied as a matter of law due to his failure to report for a scheduled VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) is being remanded due to the need for a Travel Board hearing.

The Board has granted service connection for endometriosis and assigned a 10 percent disability rating for the right knee disability. The Veteran's gynecological disability is found to have its onset in active service, while her right knee disability is currently manifested by pain, effusion, degenerative changes, limited flexion, and instability.

The Board found that the Veteran's current schizoaffective disorder, diagnosed as a bipolar type, had its onset during active military service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for entitlement to a TDIU prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and a VA examination to determine the extent of his service-connected basal cell carcinoma and its residuals. The issue also includes determining if the Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the chest, left forearm, and right lower leg are manifestations of his service-connected basal cell carcinoma.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative joint disease, left hip is being remanded due to the need for additional development including a VA examination and consideration of whether an extraschedular evaluation is warranted.