Other conditions decisions — 2018

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of lacerations on his left hand are rated at 10 percent, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted as he does not have three or four painful or unstable scars.

The Board denied payment or reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses incurred on February 11, 2015 and May 19, 2015 because the Veteran did not owe money to the provider, VA facilities were feasibly available, and his toenails debridement was not an emergency requiring immediate attention.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to deficiencies in the claims file and requests for information from the Veteran regarding his medical expenses.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, including claimed depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and insomnia, due to the lack of a current psychiatric disability related to service. The Veteran's diagnoses were primarily alcohol-related disorders.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's right hand degenerative joint disease began during service or was caused by his left middle finger condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's skin conditions, and a new VA examination is needed.

The Veteran's death was not caused by or related to his service, nor were his service-connected disabilities found to have contributed substantially or materially to his death. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is denied.

The Veteran's advanced DJD of the right thumb has been evaluated as noncompensable, as there is no evidence of limitation of motion such that a gap of less than one inch between the thumb pad and the fingers. The current non-compensable evaluation adequately portrays any functional impairment, pain, and limitation of motion.

The Veteran's case is dismissed as moot because he has already been found eligible for VA outpatient dental treatment.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected fractured left tibia, fibula, and internal malleolus with scars is being remanded due to inadequate evidence of the severity of his disability during flare-ups.

The appellant's spouse did not have service as a member of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, including in the recognized guerrillas, in the service of the United States Armed Forces. Therefore, the appellant is not eligible for VA death pension benefits.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Santiam Memorial Hospital on January 5, 2014 was granted due to the timely submission of the claim and the availability of all necessary information.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a neck injury and paralyzed fingers of the right hand, finding that there was no evidence to support these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service or service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's left wrist DJD is rated at 20 percent effective from March 28, 2003. The condition was previously rated as 10 percent prior to that date.

The Veteran did not serve in a period of war, so the surviving spouse is not eligible for VA nonservice-connected death pension benefits.

The Veteran's lichen simplex chronicus was rated at 30 percent, but the Board granted a higher rating of 60 percent based on constant or near-constant systemic therapy such as corticosteroids.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for a left nasal fold scar residual of Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC), finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating under Diagnostic Codes 7800, 7804, or 7805.

The Board denied the application to reopen the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no new and material evidence that would support reopening the claim.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, as well as the claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbar strain, discogenic disc disease, and lumbar facet syndrome. The TDIU issue is also being remanded due to its inextricable link with the other issues.

The Veteran's right eye disorder, characterized as a subconjunctival hematoma, has resolved and does not meet the criteria for an initial compensable rating.