Other conditions decisions — 2017

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than December 19, 2008 for the grant of service connection for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The earliest effective date permitted by law is December 19, 2008 as this is the date that an informal claim was filed for service connection with a formal claim filed within one year thereafter.

The Board has determined that the appellant's period of service in the U.S. Navy from June 2001 to November 2006 is dishonorable, and therefore a bar to receiving VA compensation benefits.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability is at least as likely as not related to service, and thus grants his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disability did not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, as his education and work experience were considered.

The Board finds that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including colon cancer and its residuals as well as a stomach disorder (diverticulitis), were not incurred or aggravated during military service nor may they be presumed to have been so incurred. The preponderance of evidence is against finding any connection between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate VA examination reports and failure to conduct range of motion testing.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of a right tibia disability and residuals of a left tibia disability are both currently rated at 20 percent, the maximum rating available under VA regulations. The evidence does not support higher ratings.

The Board found no chronic residual from the 1981 eye injury sustained during ACDUTRA, and thus denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining divorce or separation documents from Orange County, California between 1965 and 1967. The appeal is currently in a pending state.

The Board has granted service connection for stress fractures of the right and left legs, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his in-service symptoms.

The Board found that the Appellant does not meet any of the qualifying criteria for VA housing loan benefits and thus is not eligible to receive a Certificate of Eligibility for Loan Guaranty Benefits.

The Board found that the appellant's net worth was sufficient to meet her maintenance needs for the appeal period prior to November 2, 2016, and thus denied entitlement to VA nonservice-connected death pension benefits.

The Veteran's right knee retropatellar pain syndrome was evaluated as 10 percent disabling from May 1, 2006 to February 4, 2008. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has determined that an apportionment of the Veteran's VA compensation benefits is not warranted due to the financial needs and expenses of both the Appellant and the Veteran, resulting in undue hardship for him.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion on whether hammertoes are related to service-connected cold injuries. The Veteran's claims for higher ratings remain pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left foot neuroma, diagnosed in service and subsequently excised, is a compensable disability for VA purposes. As his condition meets the criteria for a 100% rating due to service connection, he qualifies for Class IV eligibility for VA outpatient dental treatment.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA opinion to determine whether the Veteran's esophageal cancer was etiologically related to his in-service herbicide exposure. The claim is currently pending and will be readjudicated after the additional development.

The Veteran's left tibia disability is rated at 10 percent since the effective date of service connection, and a separate noncompensable rating for his surgical scar of the left knee remains proper.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination regarding his cough.

The Veteran's skin condition was not related to his service or exposure to herbicides, and the Board denied his claim for service connection.