Other conditions decisions — 2017

The Board has requested an outside medical expert opinion to determine the etiology of the Veteran's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The appellant is seeking service connection for this condition and for the cause of her husband's death.

The Board denied reopening the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to lack of new and material evidence, as the evidence did not establish a relationship between the Veteran's cause of death and his active service.

The case is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing the Veteran with an appropriate examination to determine if he has incapacitating exacerbation episodes related to his gout condition and whether any diagnosed form of arthritis or other conditions are causally or etiologically related to his service-connected gouty arthritis.

The Veteran's overpayment of $7020 in nonservice-connected pension benefits is waived due to undue hardship, as his monthly expenses greatly exceeded his income.

The Veteran's meningioma was not incurred in or aggravated during service and is not attributable to service. The Board finds that a preponderance of the evidence is against finding that the Veteran's meningioma is related to his active duty service.

The case is being remanded due to the appellant not having a scheduled videoconference hearing. The appellant's appeal for specially adapted housing benefits, including reimbursement under 38 U.S.C. § 2101, remains pending.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for residuals of orchitis has been reopened, but the evidence does not support a finding that he currently has such disabilities. The Board also denied his SMC claim as there is no service-connected disability to warrant it.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claim for a one-time payment from the FVEC Fund, but denied the underlying claim as there is no legal entitlement to such benefit due to lack of qualifying service.

The Board found that the appellant's net worth constituted a bar to nonservice-connected pension benefits with special monthly pension based on the need for aid and attendance for the period from August 1, 2013 to July 2, 2014.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the appellant was permanently incapable of self-support at the time of his 18th birthday, and has therefore remanded the case for further action.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current heart disease, specifically cardiomyopathy and atrial fibrillation, is causally related to scarlet fever he incurred during service. As a result, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to missing records and the Veteran not reporting for a scheduled Board hearing. The case will be handled in an expeditious manner.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's mitral valve prolapse and supraventricular tachycardia preexisted service, but were aggravated by service. Therefore, these conditions are granted as service-connected.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for vitiligo, which he contends was caused by his exposure to herbicides during active duty. The Board has determined that additional development is needed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's anemia is a congenital defect and not due to service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of chronic fatigue syndrome related to active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the Veteran and his attorney have withdrawn their appeal.

The Veteran's right and left leg cellulitis disabilities have been rated at 40 percent each since the April 2016 VA examination. These ratings are based on persistent edema and stasis pigmentation, which meet the criteria for a 40 percent rating under DC 7120.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded as part of this decision.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied as her bilateral foot disabilities and toes disabilities do not warrant higher schedular ratings, and the available schedular evaluations are adequate.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to non-compliance with prior remand instructions, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lung disorder and nerve disorder.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the death of the appellant, and no jurisdiction remains for further action.