Other conditions decisions — 2018

The Board has raised the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran was requested to complete and return a VA Form 21-8940 for information necessary to properly adjudicate his claim, but he did not respond within the required time frame. The case is being remanded for further development and adjudication.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's heart disorders are related to his military service, including exposure to herbicide agents. A new VA examination is needed.

The Board found that the appellant's character of discharge was under other than honorable conditions due to being AWOL for more than 180 days. However, compelling circumstances did not warrant this prolonged absence, thus denying VA benefits.

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

The Veteran's death was not service-connected, and the appellant did not have a pending claim for VA benefits at the time of his death. Therefore, burial benefits cannot be awarded.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for hernia as secondary to service-connected post-operative left kidney cancer residuals because there is no currently diagnosed hernia at any time during the appeal period.

The Veteran had no pending claims for VA benefits at the time of his death in 1991, and there were no unpaid VA benefits. The Appellant's claim for accrued benefits is denied.

The Veteran's claim for a separate, compensable rating for left foot ulcer is granted. However, his service connection claim for cardiac disorder is denied.

The Veteran's service is not considered active duty for pension purposes, and thus he does not meet the criteria for nonservice-connected pension benefits.

The Veteran's surviving spouse died in November 2014, and the appellant sought accrued benefits. The Board found that the appellant did not qualify as a child for purposes of accrued benefits due to lack of evidence showing she bore expenses for last sickness and burial.

The Veteran's arthritis of the hips and back, characterized as DISH, is granted service connection. The TDIU claim is remanded due to need for a rating decision on the service-connected condition.

The Board denied service connection for hemihypertrophy, viral syndrome disorder, and sickle cell anemia disorder due to a lack of evidence supporting current diagnoses or in-service incurrence.

The Board finds that a timely claim for benefits was received based on the information noted above and the favorable finding by the VA Medical Center personnel in September 2015. The case is remanded to allow proper development of the record, including obtaining any evidence from the Veteran regarding outstanding medical expenses.

The Veteran's sleeping problems are not considered service-connected as they do not relate to his military service or any pre-existing condition.

The Veteran's benign prostate condition is not service connected due to lack of evidence showing a connection between his active service and the condition, nor does it meet the criteria for presumptive service connection based on exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claim for service connection of a respiratory condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical records, including a 2012 VA examination report. The Veteran's current eye disorders need further evaluation and clarification.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue was denied due to lack of a causal link between his radiation exposure in service and the development of the cancer. The Board found that while the Veteran had been exposed to ionizing radiation, there was no evidence linking this exposure to the development of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic thrombocytopenia (thrombocytopenia) was granted based on his history of ionizing radiation exposure in service. The Board found that the low dose of whole-body ionizing radiation he received over five open-air atomic bomb detonations could have caused his thrombocytopenia.

The Board denied service connection for a respiratory disability (bronchitis), but remanded the digestive disability (GERD and gastroesophagitis) claim due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has decided that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's pancreatic adenocarcinoma was related to his service, including potential exposure to jet fuel. The case will be returned for this purpose.