Other conditions decisions — 2018

The Board denied an earlier effective date for payment of dependency allowance for the Veteran's spouse, finding that proof of dependent status was not received by VA within one year of the April 1989 rating decision awarding a 30 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the thoracic spine are being remanded due to additional evidence submitted after the April 27, 2017 Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's cause of death, congestive heart failure, is not service-connected as there was no evidence of the condition during his military service and no competent evidence linking it to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues with scheduling a VA examination for the Veteran's bilateral leg numbness, which is secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability. The examiner will need to determine if the numbness had its onset in service or is otherwise related to an incident in service and whether it was caused or aggravated by his service-connected condition.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's insomnia may be related to his service-connected disabilities and medications, but needs further examination to determine this.

The Board has granted service connection for right hip bursitis as secondary to left pelvic stress fracture residuals, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's surviving sister did not file a timely application for accrued benefits within one year of the Veteran's death. The claim is denied as it was filed outside the statutory time limit.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart condition, diagnosed as supraventricular arrhythmia and re-entrant tachycardia s/p ablation, is secondary to her service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder. As such, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has revised the effective date of the TDIU from September 19, 2014 to May 24, 2016 due to a clear and unmistakable error in assigning an earlier effective date.

The appeal was dismissed because the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal at this time.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient service treatment records and a need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's hernia with surgical residuals is related to his military service.

The Board granted service connection for CAD with angina and assigned an effective date of September 25, 2014. The Veteran also received a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's son was recognized as a helpless child during his lifetime, but the appellant failed to provide sufficient medical and income evidence to establish continued entitlement to VA death pension.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for accrued benefits because he is not a dependent child of the Veteran’s surviving spouse and did not pay any of her final expenses.

The Board finds that the Veteran's non-service-connected disability pension benefits need to be readjudicated based on new MERs submitted in December 2012 and May 2013. Additionally, a new audit is needed to determine what happened to the retroactive payment applied towards his debt.

The Veteran's duodenal ulcer is rated at a 10 percent disability rating for the period on appeal, as his symptoms are mild and do not meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The Veteran's mental capacity to handle his personal affairs, including the disbursement of VA funds, has been restored based on recent evaluations indicating he is competent.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for her service-connected salpingitis infertility disorder is remanded due to the need for a more contemporaneous examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for lipomas, including parotid tumor (lipoma), finding that there was no evidence of radiation exposure or a radiogenic disease. The Board also found that the lipomas were not incurred in service.

The Veteran's death was caused by his hepatitis C infection, which contributed substantially and materially to his fatal hepatocellular cancer. The Board finds that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the hepatitis C was related to service.