Other conditions decisions — 2018

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for medical expense reimbursement, and the Board dismissed it as a result.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at New Hanover Regional Medical Center from December 18, 2013 to December 21, 2013 are granted for payment by VA due to the absence of a health-plan contract that would fully extinguish his liability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is reopened due to new and material evidence. The case is remanded for further development, including a VA examination.

The Board is remanding the case to clarify what, if any, periods of medical treatment during the specified period have been previously authorized for payment or reimbursement.

The Veteran's application to reenter a Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program was denied because his service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from performing the duties of an unpaid minister, which he had been found rehabilitated for.

The claim to reopen service connection for pterygium, right eye was denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The left eye pterygium with postoperative recurrent scarring is now rated at 10% effective August 20, 2014.

The Veteran's postoperative residuals of squamous cell carcinoma of the left vocal cord are granted with a 10 percent rating for the period since August 7, 2017. The issues related to psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular disorders, prostate disorder, lumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as other trauma and stressor-related disorder, due to exposure to dead bodies and the smell of burning human flesh during deployments in Southwest Asia and Somalia.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's back injury residuals and its relation to his military service. The Veteran will need to provide additional medical records, including VA treatment records, and a VA examination is required.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a TDIU before the Board could make a decision, thus dismissing the case.

The Board has granted the reopening of claims for service connection for left arm, right leg and left leg nerve disorders. The issues have been remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudicative action due to an inadequate VA examination in July 2017.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for lower left leg amputation and peripheral vascular disease due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran needs new VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to his active duty service or his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied an increased rating for facial trauma, finding that the symptoms did not more nearly approximate complete or severe incomplete paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for cold weather injury residuals to the hands was previously denied due to lack of a current disability. New evidence showing numbness and tingling in cold weather has been received, reopening the claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to chemical agents during service and whether his service-connected conditions contributed to his death.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hand disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology and aggravation of these conditions.

The Veteran's varicose veins and recurring cellulitis were evaluated, but the Board found that neither condition warranted a rating in excess of 40 percent for varicose veins or an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for recurring cellulitis.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses at St. Luke’s Woodlands in Houston, Texas from April 29, 2015 through May 6, 2015 are denied as the treatment was not for a condition of such severity that it would have been hazardous to life or health if delayed, and VA facilities were feasibly available.

The Veteran's service connection claim for chronic prostatitis is being remanded due to the need for clarification on when he first experienced symptoms of prostate dysfunction, which may affect his eligibility for service connection.