Other conditions decisions — 2017

The Veteran's claims for service connection for basal cell carcinoma and residuals of stroke have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, or that the conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral elbow disabilities have been granted initial ratings of 10 percent from June 12, 2009, to July 15, 2014. Ratings in excess of those assigned are not warranted at any time during the appeal period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not have a personality disorder at the time of his November 2007 claim for benefits and has not had one since. Therefore, there can be no valid service connection claim for a personality disorder.

The Board has denied the claim for recognition of the deceased appellant as the surviving spouse of the Veteran, finding that her marriage to him was not legally valid at the time she entered into it.

The Board denied service connection for a skin disorder and vertigo, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not causally related to his military service.

The Board found that the appellant and the Veteran were common law married under Texas law, lived together continuously from their marriage until shortly before the Veteran's death in 2011, and thus met the criteria for recognition as the surviving spouse for VA benefits purposes.

The Veteran's service-connected osteoporosis of the right and left knees have been rated at 10 percent each, but his claims for higher ratings are denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder is not shown to be etiologically related to service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his right great toe degenerative joint disease was denied in February 2011, with the RO assigning a 20 percent evaluation effective March 1, 2002.,In July 2014, the RO reduced the Veteran's evaluation of his right great toe condition from 20 percent to 10 percent, effective May 1, 2014.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for a left hand disability, earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for diabetes and erectile dysfunction, and an earlier effective date for the grant of SMC.

The Veteran did not have qualifying wartime service for nonservice-connected death pension benefits, and therefore the appeal is denied.

The Veteran's heart disability, including mitral valve regurgitation and left ventricular hypertrophy, is being remanded for further development as the 2014 Echo/Doppler study showing moderate mitral valve regurgitation has not been obtained. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA heart examination to determine if he continues to have these disabilities and their relationship to service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including STD residuals and psychiatric disorders, were denied as the evidence does not support a causal relationship to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin condition, claimed as jungle rot and rash, has been granted. However, the appeal is dismissed because the full benefit sought (full grant of service connection) was already achieved in an October 2014 rating decision.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cancers (tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma) as they are not shown to be related to his military service or any service-connected disability. The cause of death is also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examination and rating considerations due to the need for more detailed range of motion findings.

The Board found that the deceased's discharge was under other than honorable conditions due to persistent and willful misconduct, which constitutes a bar to VA compensation benefits.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cervical spine strain is less likely than not related to his in-service automobile accident or any other incident of active service.

The Board has reopened the claim and granted service connection for PSVT, finding it is related to the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder and panic disorder.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining SSA records and ensuring compliance with previous requests. The Veteran's TDIU claim is pending.