Other conditions decisions — 2018

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability, including atrial fibrillation. The issue of whether other diagnosed heart disabilities are related to service is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Ocala Regional Medical Center on December 7, 2014 was denied because the treatment did not meet the criteria for emergency services under VA regulations. The Board found that there was no evidence showing a medical emergency existed and that the Veteran left both facilities without completing necessary evaluations.

The Veteran's service-connected supraventricular arrhythmia with AV nodal reentry tachycardia was rated at a 30 percent disability rating from March 12, 2009 to April 3, 2014.

The Veteran's service connection claim for pulmonary embolism was denied as the condition is not related to his service or a service-connected disability. The Veteran's psoriatic arthritis prior to November 6, 2017, did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 40 percent due to lack of severe impairment of health or incapacitating exacerbations occurring four or more times a year.

The Veteran's residuals of a crush injury to the left great toe and second toe have resulted in severe symptoms, including moderate incomplete paralysis of the left external popliteal nerve. The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for these residuals.

The Veteran's bilateral foot disorders are being remanded for an examination to determine if they are related to service, including a January 1963 in-service injury and tight boots.

The Veteran's multiple myeloma is presumed to be related to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during his military service, and therefore service connection for multiple myeloma is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected fracture of his right long finger has worsened, and he needs a VA examination to determine the current severity of his disability.

The Veteran is seeking an additional retroactive payment for service-connected disabilities from March 2005 through 2014. The Board has found that the correct amount was paid based on percentages allowed for calculating refunds for Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP). However, there are discrepancies in the amounts for 'VA Withheld' and 'VA Due', which need to be resolved by obtaining a missing audit report from the VARO St. Paul and conducting another full explanation of calculations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral wet age-related macular degeneration is not related to service, including ionizing radiation exposure during service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a dental disability, finding that he does not have a current compensable dental disability and thus cannot establish service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for chronic prostatitis on an extraschedular basis was granted. The claim for a total disability rating for individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) on both a schedular and extraschedular basis was also granted.

The Board has granted service connection for metastatic adenocarcinoma and the cause of death, finding that the Veteran's exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune likely caused his cancer. The Board also found that the cause of death was related to his metastatic adenocarcinoma.

The Veteran's spouse and the Appellant (the Veteran's daughter) were awarded VA death pension benefits. The Appellant filed for accrued benefits, but was denied because she did not qualify as a child under the regulations and did not provide evidence of expenses for P.B.'s last illness or burial.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for dermatophytosis of the bilateral feet and toenails has been denied as his condition does not meet the criteria for a 10% rating under Diagnostic Code 7806.

The Veteran's skin disability, which affects the groin, thighs, and buttocks, has required constant or near-constant systemic therapy such as corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive drugs for a 12-month period. As a result, his rating is now at its maximum of 60 percent.

The Board found that the termination of an erroneous duplicate award of death pension was proper and denied the appeal.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to a rating in excess of 40 percent for loss of use of the left foot, extension of temporary total ratings based on convalescence for loss of use of the left foot, and entitlement to a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. Additional development is required as the evidence suggests that the Veteran's service-connected left foot disability may have worsened.

The Veteran's VRAP benefits were terminated on March 31, 2014. The appeal is denied as there is no legal basis to extend the program after this date.