Other conditions decisions — 2018

The Veteran's only service-connected condition is PTSD, rated at 50%. The Board denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as the evidence does not show that his PTSD alone precludes him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the claims for neurocardiogenic syncope and presyncope, including a TDIU claim, due to insufficient reasoning in previous decisions. The Veteran is required to undergo further examination to determine the nature and severity of his service-connected condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for respiratory conditions as there is no competent evidence associating his current respiratory condition with his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for dyspepsia and sebaceous cysts on upper back are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and providing VA examinations.

The Veteran's child, H.T., is not considered a helpless child due to insufficient evidence showing he was permanently incapable of self-support at age 18.

The Board has remanded the issue of an effective date prior to September 7, 2004, for recognition of L., as a ‘helpless child’ of the Veteran due to the inextricably intertwined nature with the timely July 2003 request for an extension of time in which to submit a substantive appeal from the May 2002 Agency of Original Jurisdiction determination that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim for recognition of L., as a ‘helpless child’ of the Veteran.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal regarding the timeliness of a notice of disagreement filed in 2011, and the Board has dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal at this time.

The Board is instructed to clarify the record regarding whether the Appellant's service was a bar to receiving VA benefits, including VA home loan guaranty benefits. The RO must include a discussion of the July 2001 administrative decision and its validity in light of the recent grant of VA monetary benefits.

The Board denied service connection for a right hand disability and a cardiac disorder, finding no current disabilities in either condition.

The Board has remanded two issues: service connection for sepsis due to infection and service connection for residuals of Bell's palsy (claimed as facial paralysis) secondary to the non-service-connected sepsis. The Veteran needs to provide authorization for her private gynecologist records, and a VA addendum opinion is needed regarding whether these conditions are related to active military service.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for costochondritis is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and VA records.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete service records and the need for a VA examination to determine if any current right foot disability is related to service, including a forced march during ACDUTRA.

The Board denied service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia as it was not shown to be related to the Veteran's service, including exposure to ionizing radiation. The claim is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity of the Veteran's anxiety disorder and his eligibility for TDIU.

The Board's decision is remanded due to incomplete records regarding the appellant’s service status. The AOJ must contact Navy Personnel Command for updated service personnel records.

The Veteran's sensory deficit of the left upper extremity was initially evaluated as 10 percent disabling prior to June 27, 2012, and 20 percent thereafter. The Board found that a rating in excess of these levels is not warranted due to the lack of associated motor deficits.

The Board denied service connection for left hip strain as secondary to herniated nucleus pulposus (status post laminectomy) and denied TDIU, finding that the Veteran's left hip strain is not related to his active duty service or caused by his service-connected back disability.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of full service personnel records, which are necessary to properly evaluate whether the appellant's service exclusive of the period of prolonged AWOL was generally of such quality and length that it can be characterized as honest, faithful and meritorious.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a relationship between the Veteran's service-connected varicose veins and ulcerations and his fatal infection.

The Veteran's herpes has required constant or near-constant systemic therapy, leading to a 60 percent rating.