Other conditions decisions — 2016

The appellant has withdrawn her appeal regarding the reduction of death pension payments based on medical expenses. The Board does not have jurisdiction to consider this matter.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's grade 1-2 spondylolisthesis was aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that clarification is needed regarding the details of the Veteran's charges, convictions, and dates of confinement before it can review whether his pension benefits were terminated at least 61 days after his imprisonment for conviction of a felony or misdemeanor.

The Veteran's skin disorder and leg length deformity are being remanded for additional development as the VA examinations did not consider all relevant evidence, including her service treatment records.

The Veteran's gastric ulcers are found to be related to the medication he was prescribed for his service-connected bilateral flat feet and right leg stress fracture, which is considered secondary service connection.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as the Veteran's surviving spouse, finding that she was not married to him at the time of his death and thus could not be recognized as such.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease was denied as the earliest effective date is April 26, 1999.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private dental records, scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of her claimed dental condition, and assessing whether there are any additional disabilities related to dental treatment received at VAMC Hampton.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of medical expenses incurred on May 3, 2013 is being remanded due to missing records and information regarding his enrollment in the VA health care system within the 24-month period preceding the treatment.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no service connection claim is pending.

The Board has determined that the appellant's income is excessive for VA purposes and she is not eligible for a widow's pension. The case is being returned to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for further review, including an audit of her death pension account from 2012 to present.

The Veteran was not a full-time student for his program of education from January 13, 2014 to May 9, 2014 and therefore was not entitled to retraining assistance under the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program.

The Veteran's VRAP benefits were terminated because he was not enrolled in full-time status at Erie Community College from January 25, 2014 to March 31, 2014. The Board found that the termination of benefits is correct as the Veteran did not meet the requirement for full-time enrollment.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his astrocytoma was caused by exposure to Agent Orange during active service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining authorization and consent to release information from private healthcare providers who have treated the Veteran's right leg amputation and liver disability. A VA examination is also needed to determine if any diagnosed liver disability is related to active service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the severity of the Veteran's service-connected pneumococcal cerebral meningitis. The TDIU claim is inextricably intertwined with the increased rating claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death, widely metastatic cancer of underdetermined primary site, was not related to his military service and denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inextricably intertwined issue of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, which was not previously addressed. The Veteran's claim of a left leg disorder is also being reviewed.

The Veteran's skin disability has been rated at 50 percent since May 9, 1972. The Board found that the evidence presented an exceptional disability picture as to render impractical the application of the regular schedular standards for this service-connected condition.