Other conditions decisions — 2018

The Veteran's top jaw injury with dentofacial deformity, bilateral, is denied as there is no evidence of a compensable dental disorder resulting from service.

The Veteran's eligibility for special monthly compensation (SMC) at a rate higher than 38 U.S.C. § 1114(n) based on aid and attendance and housebound was denied because his other service-connected conditions did not result in the need of aid and attendance or housebound; those needs were due to the blindness.

The Veteran's medical expenses at a private hospital were reimbursed because the treatment was necessary due to a medical emergency and VA facilities were not feasibly available.

The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for residuals of the April 2007 radical prostatectomy performed by VA, including impotence, severe urinary incontinence, and inguinal hernia, as these disabilities were reasonably foreseeable outcomes of the procedure.

The appeal was dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 involving his colon, liver, and stomach is dismissed because the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The claim for nonservice-connected burial benefits was denied due to an untimely application filed nearly seven years after the Veteran's death.

The Board found that the termination of the Veteran's NSC pension benefits from April 1, 2013 to April 30, 2014 was proper due to an increase in his countable income.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and there is no evidence of malaria developing within one year after discharge. The claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death is denied.

The Board denied service connection for a lower extremity vascular disorder and TDIU due to the lack of evidence linking the current condition to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for back muscle spasms has been reopened and granted. The case is remanded to schedule a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for obtaining updated medical records and a new examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected unspecified trauma and trauma related disorder. The issue of entitlement to TDIU is also being remanded due to its connection with the initial rating claim.

The Board is remanding the issue of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim for service connection for a right foot skin disorder due to incomplete records. The Veteran's STRs do not include any treatment records, only an enlistment examination and a separation examination.

The Board dismissed the appeal for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as the appellant requested to withdraw the appeal before a decision was made.

The Board has denied DIC benefits due to the Veteran not meeting the durational requirements for a total disability rating. The cause of death was determined to be metastatic pancreatic cancer, which is not service-connected.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for residuals of a left scapula fracture and for an initial compensable disability rating for residuals of ruptured colon surgery. The case is being returned to the RO for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's neck disorder, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his in-service fall from a bunk bed.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death due to lack of evidence linking the Veteran's death to her active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for right hand arthritis, finding that there was no evidence demonstrating limitation of motion related to this service-connected condition resulting in a gap of more than 2 inches between the thumb pad and the fingers.

The Veteran's glioblastoma, a disease associated with exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, is considered service-connected due to the presumption of exposure for veterans who served in Vietnam. The Board granted service connection for the cause of death.