Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Board has determined that the March 2011 rating decision assigning a single 10% evaluation for bilateral knee arthritis was clearly and unmistakably erroneous. The Veteran's claim is being remanded to readjudicate his claims for service connection of left hip and right hip arthritis.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right inguinal hernia, finding that it was aggravated by service and not preexisting.

The Board denied service connection for a left hand disability as there is no indication of a current disability causally related to the in-service injury.

The Veteran's right inguinal hernia has not recurred and he does not require a truss or belt. The Board denied his claim for an increased rating as the evidence did not support a compensable evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of spondylolysis of L-5, finding that the earliest possible effective date is May 22, 2018.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a stomach disorder and right-hand condition are being remanded due to the failure of VA to obtain VA examinations prior to denying these claims.

The Board found that the trust assets held by the appellant were not included in her net worth, and thus her income and net worth are not a bar to survivors pension benefits. The appeal is granted.

The appellant is not recognized as the surviving spouse of the Veteran for purposes of establishing eligibility for VA DIC benefits due to her divorce from the Veteran prior to his death.

The Veteran's appeal for recognition of L.M. as his 'helpless child' due to permanent incapacity for self-support prior to age 18 was denied because L.M. has not been adopted by the Veteran and did not acquire stepchild status before his eighteenth birthday.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for fibrocystic breast disease, finding that it began in service and continues to cause pain.

The Board has decided that the Appellant did not timely file a request for waiver of overpayment due to an overpayment of VA death pension benefits. The decision is remanded to provide her with a copy of the May 7, 2017 notice of indebtedness and allow her to respond.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including obtaining medical records and a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's pilonidal cyst is related to service.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal before a decision was made.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional medical examination and information from the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding accrued benefits and reopening of service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The appellant is seeking to be recognized as a substitute in her husband's claim, which was not previously adjudicated.

The Veteran's pulmonary embolism is not considered to be caused by VA treatment, and the Board finds that no fault on the part of VA proximately caused or reasonably foreseen the condition.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to assess the nature and etiology of any sleep disorder, as well as to obtain outstanding medical records. The Veteran's service connection claim for a sleep disorder will be remanded.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left hand injury, finding that new and material evidence had been presented to reopen the claim. The Board also found that the Veteran's current disability is related to his in-service injury.

The Veteran's death was not service-connected, and the Board denied both service connection for the cause of his death and DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for benefits accrued by her mother-in-law's spouse due to a lack of evidence showing that she personally paid for last sickness and burial expenses with her own money.