Other conditions decisions — 2018

The Board has granted service connection for a bunion of the right foot and awarded a temporary total evaluation due to convalescence following surgery.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations to assess his service-connected residuals of surgery, characterized by VA as hernia repair. His TDIU claim prior to March 20, 2014, is also referred to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's initial disability ratings for a neurogenic bladder and fecal incontinence have been granted. The case is remanded to determine service connection for right hip, shoulder, knee, and wrist disorders.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability, finding that there is no current diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cognitive impairment, including as due to exposure to Agent Orange, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his in-service exposure and his current condition.

The Board denied the appellant's petition to reopen his claim of whether his character of discharge is a bar to VA benefits, other than health care under Chapter 17, Title 38, United States Code. The decision was based on the lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be pneumonia due to or as a consequence of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (pancreatic cancer). The Board found service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death based on exposure to toxic chemicals from jet fuel during his active duty service, which contributed to the development of his pancreatic cancer.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for polycythemia vera and erythromelalgia, finding that no formal or informal claim was filed prior to August 30, 2011.

The Board denied service connection for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), finding that it was not caused by service, including exposure to Agent Orange, and was not aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU prior to July 24, 1975 was dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for spinal stenosis and disc degeneration with recurrent disc herniation at L3-L4 was denied on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for right chronic Achilles tendonitis, finding that it was incurred during his active duty training in 2001.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to incomplete examination findings. The Veteran's left and right hamstring disabilities are being reviewed again with additional medical evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for lupus was reopened due to new and material evidence. The Board found that her symptoms, including chronic pain, fatigue, and skin rashes, were likely early manifestations of her current diagnosis of lupus during active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a dental disability is denied because the condition does not meet the criteria for compensation purposes.

The Board denied the waiver of overpayment recovery for compensation benefits due to the Veteran's incarcerated status, finding that neither fraud nor bad faith was involved. The decision concluded that recovery would not be against equity and good conscience given the fault on both sides.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's gout is related to service and grants his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for adjustment disorder is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and an opinion regarding the relationship between his current condition and military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left hand arthritis and loss of three fingers, left hand as there was no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran died in January 2013 and the appellant filed for burial benefits. The Board found that the criteria for payment of burial benefits were not met because the Veteran was not receiving VA compensation or pension at the time of his death, nor did he have an original or reopened claim pending.