Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a neurological disorder in the right upper extremity, secondary to his service-connected Paget-Schroetter syndrome, is denied as he does not have a current diagnosis of such a condition.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of travel expenses to and from medical providers in Panama related to service-connected disabilities is denied as the regulations do not authorize such payments.

The Board has remanded the claims for anterior and posterior intramural uterine fibroid tumors and TDIU due to outstanding VA treatment records and further evidentiary development.

The Board denied the Appellant's request for an earlier effective date for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, finding that the earliest possible effective date is September 15, 2017.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD). The examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether FSAD is related to service, caused by or aggravated by her service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's right index and long finger disabilities, finding that there is not enough evidence to support a link between his current disability and an in-service injury.

The Board has denied an initial compensable rating for the Veteran's left calf strain prior to December 4, 2017 and a rating in excess of 10 percent thereafter. The case is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of a shell fragment wound of the right buttock and thigh, with retained foreign bodies, are currently rated at 40 percent. The Board finds that the symptoms most closely approximate the criteria for this rating.

The Board dismissed the appeal regarding the Veteran's dependents as they requested to withdraw their appeal.

The Veteran's increased rating claim for trench foot is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected condition and whether any skin issues on his hands are related.

The appellant's application was dismissed because she is not the decedent's next of kin or an authorized representative, and thus lacks standing to request a government-furnished headstone.

The Veteran's appeal includes a request for an increased rating for his paresthesias of the left leg and also questions about whether the reduction in his disability rating from 20 percent to noncompensable was proper. The Board has decided that both issues need further examination and evaluation.

The Veteran's death was not service-connected, and the claim for burial benefits in excess of $300.00 is denied as there is no legal basis to award such benefits.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of hemorrhagic fever, to include colitis and ulcerative colitis is granted. The Board also remanded the cases for further development regarding a disability rating for duodenal ulcer and service connection for a low back disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for a waiver of overpayment due to incarceration for a felony, finding that recovery would not be against equity and good conscience.

The Veteran's 20% rating for painful snapping and left hip iliopsoas tendonitis was reduced to a 10% rating, effective September 1, 2014. The Board finds this reduction improper and restores the 20% rating.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for further development of the record, including obtaining an examination to determine if the Veteran's throat cancer is related to his in-service neck infection and exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for thoracic compression factures with progression to degenerative joint disease was denied. Separate ratings were granted for sciatic nerve radiculopathy affecting the left and right lower extremities.

The Board has determined that E.T. was permanently incapable of self-support prior to his 18th birthday due to various disabilities, and thus meets the criteria for recognition as a helpless child.

The Veteran's cause of death was metastatic esophageal cancer. The Board has decided to remand the case for a VA medical opinion on whether his exposure to herbicides caused his lung and esophageal cancers.