Other conditions decisions — 2018

The Board has not received a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's respiratory condition is related to his service, and thus remands the case for further development.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at a non-VA facility is denied because the care provided was not in response to an emergency and VA facilities were feasibly available.

The Veteran's emergency room visit at Baptist Medical Center on March 29, 2016 was approved because the delay in seeking medical attention would have been hazardous to his life or health and VA facilities were not feasibly available.

The Veteran's Dupuytren's contracture of the right and left hands was not found to meet the criteria for a compensable rating prior to July 24, 2014.

The Veteran's right foot disability has worsened, and an updated VA examination is needed to assess the current severity of his service-connected condition.

The Board is unable to determine if the Veteran's private medical care was related to his service-connected coronary artery disease, and thus remands for a VA opinion.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess his current left hip disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have any residuals of a reaction to an anthrax vaccine he received in service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran died in July 2004 due to mesenteric vascular insufficiency. The appellant's claim for DIC benefits was received by VA on October 21, 2011, more than one year after the Veteran's death. Therefore, an earlier effective date is denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal before a decision was made, so the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's heart valve replacement and atrial fibrillation are not related to his service, including herbicide exposure. The Board denied the claim as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for Lyme disease is remanded due to uncertainty regarding the active stage of his condition during the appeal period and the severity of any associated residuals.

The Veteran's ulcerative colitis and Crohn's Disease are found to be aggravated by her service-connected PTSD. Service connection for these conditions is granted, but the claim for a higher rating for PTSD remains denied.

The Veteran is eligible for specially adapted housing due to his service-connected disabilities, and the appeal seeking a special home adaptation grant is dismissed as moot.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's current left calf gastrocnemius strain, specifically his February 1992 injury during active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral patellar chondromalacia is related to his in-service injury, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for malaria is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to issues with the creation of an overpayment, and will provide a supplemental statement of the case after resolving these issues.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right-hand and left-hand muscle spasm disabilities, finding that they did not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on limitation of motion or other functional loss.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of non-VA medical care at Mississippi University Medical Center (MUMC) from June 14, 2013 through June 20, 2013 is denied because the treatment was not pre-authorized by VA and the Veteran had not received VA medical services within the 24-month period preceding the non-VA treatment.