Other conditions decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's residuals of a skull fracture and disability manifested by dizziness and loss of balance were not incurred in or aggravated during service, nor are they otherwise attributable to active service.

The Board has granted service connection for Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the spine. The claim for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, claimed as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation, is being remanded due to the need for a dose assessment and an opinion from an oncologist.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for service connection for a skin disability, and the Board has dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Veteran withdrew his service connection claims for a skin condition of the lips, to include due to herbicide agent exposure or secondary to an STD; a skin rash or itchy skin other than the lips, to include due to herbicide agent exposure or secondary to an STD; and a disability manifested by poor vision, to include as secondary to an STD.

The Board found that the Veteran's current skin disabilities, including actinic keratosis and seborrheic keratosis, did not have their onset during service or are otherwise related to service. The appeal is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's stroke and its residuals are not service connected, as they may not be presumed to have been incurred due to Agent Orange exposure. The claim for secondary service connection based on PTSD is also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected eosinophilic esophagitis with esophageal stricture has been rated at 50 percent since August 20, 2013. The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for the entire period on appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current duodenal ulcer or other gastrointestinal disability, aside from her service-connected diverticulosis. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has reopened the previously denied claims for Grave's disease, Chiari malformation, and syringomyelia. However, service connection is not granted as there is no current diagnosis of a tailbone condition.

The Veteran's service-connected ventral hernia was granted a 20 percent rating from March 17, 2008 to January 11, 2009 and a 100 percent rating from January 12, 2009.

The Veteran's current colon polyps are not service-connected as they did not have their onset in service and there is no evidence linking them to his military service, including any exposure to asbestos or toxic chemicals.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's throat cancer was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of evidence, including obtaining treatment records and arranging for a VA examination. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered based on the additional information obtained.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current chronic respiratory disorder including pertussis or residuals of whooping cough, and therefore service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's desmoid tumor, which is consistent with a spindle cell neoplasm, had its onset during active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for alopecia is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and arranging for a new examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and clarifying the Veteran's service connection theory.

The Veteran's cause of death is not related to his service-connected duodenal ulcer, and the disability was neither the principal nor a contributory cause of his death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected degenerative joint disease in the left great toe. The case will be readjudicated after this additional development.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, including ischemic heart disease presumed due to herbicide exposure.