Other conditions decisions — 2018

The Veteran's spouse passed away more than a year before the appellant filed for accrued benefits, which is not timely. Therefore, the claim is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete records and requests for additional information from SSA.

The Board finds that a VA examination is needed to determine the extent of the Veteran's vocal cord damage, consider whether it was proximately caused by carelessness or any instance of fault on the part of VA, and address whether it was due to an event not reasonably foreseeable.

The Board denied a request for an effective date prior to June 1, 2014, for adding the Veteran's spouse and stepson to his award due to lack of evidence submitted within one year of their marriage.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as there is no current diagnosis of PTSD and the Veteran's symptoms are more likely related to his current stressors rather than his military service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disability, including schizoaffective disorder and psychotic disorder, is remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for breast cancer, which is presumed to be due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Service connection for female infertility was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Board has found that the VA examinations provided were insufficient and remanded for further development, including obtaining a new examination with a competent medical opinion addressing previous deficiencies.

The Veteran received emergency treatment and was admitted to a VA facility from November 26-29, 2015. However, due to the lack of feasibly available VA facilities, payment for the private medical treatment at Renal Hypertension Center on November 28-29, 2015 is granted.

The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma was found to be related to his military service, and the Board granted service connection for this condition as part of a pending claim for accrued benefits.

The Veteran died of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) in 1999. The appellant's claim for DIC benefits was denied because the evidence did not show that AML was caused by service or began within one year of service separation. The Board found that new records added to the file after the original denial were already known and did not affect the outcome, so reconsideration was not appropriate.

The Board denied service connection for early onset Alzheimer's disease and the cause of death due to Alzheimer's, finding no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's Lewy body dementia is related to his military service, specifically due to exposure to Agent Orange. Therefore, service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for neuralgia of the right fifth cranial nerve and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating than 30 percent for the cranial nerve disability, and there was no effective date earlier than October 20, 2016, for the award of TDIU.

The Board denied a compensable rating for calcified pleural plaques and remanded the issue of service connection for a skin disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right elbow disability, including lateral epicondylitis. The Veteran is required to provide VA with any relevant treatment records and an examination must be conducted.

The Board denied continued entitlement to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code due to a change in the educational objective for which appellant entered training. The decision was based on her change from the Healthcare Reimbursement program to the Social Work Assistant program.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bronchiectasis is being remanded due to the addition of VA treatment records since the last decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a colon disorder and neurobehavioral effects are remanded as the AOJ is required to secure VA medical records and provide the Veteran with an examination to determine if these conditions are related to his in-service exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's appeal of the special apportionment of his VA disability compensation benefits is denied because the evidence does not establish undue hardship to him, despite experiencing financial difficulties with his ex-wife and children.