Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Veteran's right cubital tunnel syndrome and left elbow condition characterized as left cubital tunnel syndrome are granted service connection.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded, and a rating in excess of 10 percent for the service-connected acromioclavicular joint arthritis and biceps tendinopathy of the left shoulder is also remanded.

The Board denied service connection for a skin condition of the right thumb, finding insufficient evidence to link it to service.

The Board denied the Appellant's claim for VA death benefits as she was not legally married to the Veteran at the time of his death, and thus cannot be considered his surviving spouse.

The Board dismissed the appeals due to the Veteran's death, and no jurisdiction remains for further action.

The Board has remanded the cases for a new medical opinion to address whether the Veteran's left and right hand disabilities are related to service, including any cold injury complaints.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a groin disability due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives and the need for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from an orthopedic physician.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for back pain, right hip and thigh pain, and left hip replacement with thigh pain due to insufficient rationale in the previous examiners' opinions.

The Veteran's death was not service-connected, and therefore he did not meet the criteria for nonservice-connected burial benefits.

The Board has granted a waiver of the recovery of an overpayment of VA disability benefits, in the amount of $22,682.00, due to circumstances beyond the Veteran's control and considering factors such as undue hardship and financial need.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims of service connection for bunions, hallux valgus, and hammer toes in both feet due to his death during the appeal process.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple ratings assigned for her service-connected right forearm/elbow disability, and the Board finds further development is necessary to ensure all issues are properly addressed.

The appeal was dismissed due to the death of the appellant, and no jurisdiction remains for further action.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current abdominal hernia is related to service and any pre-existing conditions or disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for intestinal carcinoid cancer, finding no evidence of the condition during active duty or within one year post-service. The claim was not granted on a presumptive basis due to lack of exposure to Agent Orange. The opinion from the private physician was deemed speculative and thus did not support the claim.

The Board has decided that a remand is needed to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected pleural plaques and to identify any symptoms and functional impairments due to pleural plaques alone.

The Board has remanded the case due to the appellant not waiving consideration of additional evidence and argument submitted by her.

The Veteran's surviving spouse died in October 2016, and the appellant did not file a claim for accrued benefits until June 2018. The Board found that the claim was not timely filed due to the appellant's medical condition, but denied the appeal as there is no basis for equitable tolling of the filing deadline.

The Board has granted service connection for multiple myeloma, finding that the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam during his military service is presumed. The decision also finds that there is no evidence of any other conditions listed under presumptive service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete examination and lack of consideration of the Veteran's reported in-service battery acid incident. The examiner should provide a thorough opinion on whether the Veteran’s current eye conditions are related to service.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant requested to withdraw the appeal prior to a decision being made.