Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as there was no credible supporting evidence that either claimed in-service stressor actually occurred.

The Board is remanding the case to determine if the change in the Veteran's Means Test eligibility category from copay exempt to copay required for income year 2016 was proper. The decision will be based on information provided by the IRS and Social Security Administration.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at a private hospital on December 12, 2018 was denied because he did not receive care within the VA system during the previous 24 months.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back injury as secondary to his service-connected coccydynia.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding a possible link between the Veteran's neck injury with arthritis and his military service.

The Veteran's basal cell carcinoma and actinic keratoses are related to sun exposure during service, and the Board has granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's voiding dysfunction prior to November 4, 2016 was rated at 20 percent and after that date at 40 percent. The Board denied both requests for higher ratings.

The Veteran's lichen sclerosus disability and pain and discomfort are not service-connected, as the Board found no evidence of VA negligence or fault in causing his condition.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is not rated as compensable, with the most probative evidence indicating Level II and Level III hearing loss in the right and left ears respectively.

The Veteran's hysterectomy is denied as not etiologically related to her service-connected cervical cyst disability.,The Veteran's essential thrombocytosis and primary myelofibrosis are currently rated noncompensable due to a hemoglobin level of 10.8gm/100ml.

The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty about the Veteran's service in Southwest Asia, which is required for presumptive service connection under VA regulations.

The Veteran's cause of death (dementia) is not service-connected, and the appellant's claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is denied due to lack of continuous total disability rating.

The Board has found a pre-decisional duty to assist error as the Veteran was not scheduled for a VA examination. The issue is remanded so that he can be afforded an appropriate VA examination prior to adjudication of his claim.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to carelessness and neglect by VA personnel is remanded because the October 2015 medical opinion did not address his theory of additional disability caused by a delay in referring him to a retina specialist.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's atrial fibrillation disability may be related to a period of INACDUTRA, and thus remands for further development.

The Veteran's death was due to a cardiovascular condition, but the AOJ has not obtained relevant medical records from Hutcheson Medical Center. The appellant needs to be provided with VCAA notice and asked to provide authorization for VA to obtain her husband’s treatment records.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there is no evidence linking the Veteran's cause of death to his military service or any service-connected disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's reinstatement of non-service-connected disability pension benefits due to his countable income exceeding the applicable maximum annual pension rate (MAPR).

The Board has determined that the appellant's income from May 1, 2019 exceeds the applicable maximum annual pension rate (MAPR) for death pension benefits and thus denied her claim.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's hallux valgus conditions, specifically whether symptoms can be separated from non-service-connected sesamoiditis.