Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Board denied retroactive payment of Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits as the appellant's application was not filed within one year before September 23, 2013.

The Board has decided that further development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any left hand disorder, as there are no current diagnoses associated with the Veteran's symptoms. The case is being remanded for additional examination and medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for overactive bladder due to lack of in-service incurrence or a nexus to her service-connected female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD) and/or gynecological related abdominal issues. The case is being returned for further action.

The Board denied service connection for prostate hypertrophy, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support a link between current symptoms and in-service prostatitis.

The Board denied the Appellant's claim to reopen her service connection for cause of death due to lack of new and material evidence, as the submitted records did not relate to an unestablished fact or raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the payment of additional compensation for his dependent child A.J. was denied because complete information about A.J. was not received until April 7, 2009.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a left ovarian cyst and residuals of a right breast lumpectomy, finding that there is no evidence to support these conditions began during or are otherwise related to her military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's nerve damage and/or neurological problems are related to his in-service training in a high-altitude chamber with no oxygen.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for Crohn’s disease, finding that his current condition began during active service and resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and a separate disability rating were dismissed. The Board found the Veteran eligible for specially adapted housing assistance due to his permanent total service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's current residuals of a cerebral vascular accident, including left-sided hemiplegia, are related to his military service and/or his service-connected ischemic heart disease.

The Veteran is granted non-service-connected disability pension benefits from April 24, 2009 to April 30, 2010. The case is remanded for further development regarding continuing entitlement for calendar years 2010 to the present.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient efforts in obtaining service department records, particularly related to Active Duty for Training (ACDUTRA) and Indirect National Guard Training (INACDUTRA). The Veteran's left eye condition may have been incurred during service but this needs further clarification from additional medical records.

The Board has determined that additional information and medical opinions are needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection for PFO status postoperative and residuals of embolic CVA secondary to PFO. The current evidence is insufficient to make a decision on these claims.

The Veteran's appeal for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities has been dismissed because the Veteran died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's vulvar lichen sclerosus is rated at a 10 percent disability rating, effective March 14, 2018. Her herpes is not service-connected and her claim for separate ratings remains pending.

The Veteran's son, C.P., was found to be permanently incapable of self-support prior to his 18th birthday. The new evidence received after the September 2013 rating decision supports this finding and grants recognition as a helpless child.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare on September 8, 2016 is granted as the evidence shows that a prudent layperson would have reasonably expected delay in seeking immediate medical attention to be hazardous to health and that no VA facility was feasibly available.

The decedent did not serve in active military service and died without a service-connected condition. Therefore, he is ineligible for burial in a VA national cemetery.

The Board has granted service connection for oropharyngeal cancer and tonsillar cancer, finding that the Veteran's cancers are related to his military service due to presumed exposure to Agent Orange.