Other conditions decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the appellant's character of discharge is a bar to VA benefits, other than health care under Chapter 17, due to willful and persistent misconduct during service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a sinus disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's urinary disability, diagnosed as urethral stricture disease. The claim for balanitis xerotica obliterans is denied.

The Veteran's service connection claim for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is granted based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in Thailand.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current dental disability and denied his claim of service connection for a dental disability.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the Appellant is denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of death, accrued benefits, or DIC/pension.

The Veteran's idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is etiologically linked to his presumed in-service herbicide exposure (Agent Orange). Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has determined that there is no credible evidence of a valid common-law marriage between the appellant and the Veteran, thus denying her claim for recognition as his surviving spouse.

The Veteran's request for a waiver of his $9,395.00 debt incurred as an overpayment of VA nonservice-connected pension benefits was denied because it was not made within the required 180-day period after he received notice of the debt.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for Wegener's granulomatosis, which he claims was caused by his exposure to asbestos and lead paint during service. The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of the condition.

The Veteran's sister filed a claim for accrued benefits more than one year after the Veteran's death, which is not within the legal requirements and thus denied.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not currently have a disability manifested by chronic ear infections, and thus cannot establish service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for loss of sense of taste secondary to service-connected sinusitis, effective June 30, 2014. The rating assigned is 10 percent.

The Veteran's claim for non-service connected pension benefits is being remanded due to the need to obtain and associate Social Security Administration (SSA) records with his claims file, as well as update his income verification form.

The Veteran's Crohn's disease was initially rated at 10 percent prior to December 6, 2012. From December 6, 2012 to January 29, 2014, the rating was increased to 30 percent. Since then, a higher rating has not been warranted.

The Veteran's death is being reviewed for potential service connection due to exposure to Agent Orange during his military service. The case has been remanded for further investigation into the Veteran's exposure and service records.

The Board determined that the Veteran's compensation benefits were properly discontinued from December 27, 2001, through September 22, 2008, due to his status as a fugitive felon. The request for waiver of overpayment was denied because it was not submitted in a timely manner.

The appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and determining if the claimant was permanently incapacitated prior to age 18. The Veteran's basic eligibility for VA improved death pension benefits will be reconsidered.

The Veteran's HIV infection is currently evaluated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to lack of refractory constitutional symptoms, diarrhea, or pathological weight loss.

The Veteran's irritable colon syndrome is rated at 30 percent disabling for the entire appeal period, and service connection for a dental disability has been denied.