Other conditions decisions — 2016

The Veteran's claims for specially adapted housing and a special home adaptation grant have been granted, but these grants are precluded due to the already awarded specially adapted housing. Therefore, both claims are dismissed.

The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death was unrelated to service or a service connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The Veteran's additional periods of active duty service in the National Guard have been credited, resulting in more than 26 months of aggregate creditable active duty service after September 10, 2001. This meets the criteria for full (100%) Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected spine disability and obtain relevant medical records.

The Veteran's lung disorder, including interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, is being remanded for further clarification and evaluation due to conflicting medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the case due to procedural issues and requests for updated financial information from both parties.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of her claims, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA examiner with the appropriate information to determine if her liver disorder is secondary to her service-connected conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability and finds that new and material evidence has been submitted. The Board also finds that the Veteran's current left knee disability had its clinical onset during her period of active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for recognition of his son as a helpless child due to lack of evidence showing permanent incapacity at age 18 and failure to provide requested information.

The Veteran's service connection claim for multiple myeloma due to radiation exposure is granted, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of lymphoma and there is no evidence of herbicide exposure during service. The nerve condition is also not related to active duty service.

The Board denied the claim for an earlier effective date of June 16, 2010 for a 10 percent rating for residuals of low back injury as there was no formal or informal claim prior to that time and no evidence of treatment showing an increase in severity.

The Veteran's death was caused by left lower lobe pneumonia, with underlying causes of pulmonary fibrosis and ankylosing spondylitis. The cause of death is being remanded to determine if the Veteran's ankylosing spondylitis was aggravated during his second period of service.

The Board found that the unauthorized medical expenses incurred from May 6, 2011 to May 9, 2011 at [redacted] were for a condition of such a nature that a prudent layperson would have reasonably expected that delay in treatment would have been hazardous to life or health. The VA medical facilities were not feasibly available and an attempt to use them beforehand would not have been considered reasonable by a prudent layperson. Therefore, the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement was granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding potential exposure to chemicals in service and whether CLL was aggravated by his service-connected chronic sinusitis.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include attention deficit disorder. The issue of TDIU remains pending.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection of a back disability, and as such, this issue is remanded for further development. The Veteran now needs an examination to determine if his current back condition pre-existed service or was aggravated by service.

The case is being remanded to obtain relevant divorce or separation documents from 1965 to 1967 in Orange County, California. The appellant's relationship status and the validity of her claim for DIC benefits are unclear due to conflicting statements.

The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death, respiratory insufficiency and multiple hepatic metastases, was not related to service-connected disabilities. The issue of nonservice-connected death pension is addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision.

The Veteran's girlfriend called 9-1-1 because the Veteran had stopped breathing and his eyes rolled back. The medical provider at [redacted], Inc. attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead before transport could occur. The Board finds that payment for unauthorized medical expenses is warranted due to the nature of the condition.