Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy should be remanded due to incomplete records, particularly private treatment records from Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute and Carolina Medical Center. The VA is instructed to attempt to obtain these records.

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

The appeal was dismissed due to the appellant's death, and no jurisdiction remains for further consideration.

The Board has granted the appellant's claim for an effective date of March 5, 2012 for his Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits. The decision is based on the appellant making a timely election with his school to start his eligibility for DEA benefits.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's mitral valve prolapse repair and his in-service chest pain complaints. The case will be reviewed with a new medical opinion.

The Board has recognized the appellant as the surviving spouse of the Veteran for purposes of entitlement to VA death benefits, considering her consistent allegations and evidence regarding their separation due to the Veteran's misconduct.

The Veteran's cause of death, cardio-respiratory arrest due to sepsis, is not related to his service or any service-connected disability. The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death.

The Veteran's post-operative left varicocele has required continuous intensive management throughout the appeal period, and the Board granted a 30 percent rating for this condition.

The appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant, and no service connection decision is made.

The Veteran seeks a clothing allowance for a left ankle brace due to their service-connected foot drop. The AOJ recommended an annual re-evaluation of the Veteran's prosthetic or orthopedic appliance, but VA treatment records from August 2016 to the present have not been associated with the claims file. The case is REMANDED to obtain these records and readjudicate the claim.

The appellant is not the decedent's next of kin or authorized by them, and thus lacks standing to request a government-furnished headstone. The claim for a government-furnished headstone or marker is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral eye disability is related to her service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Appellant's discharge was due to willful and persistent misconduct, resulting in a regulatory bar to VA benefits. The appeal is denied.

The Board denied DIC and nonservice-connected survivor's pension based on lack of evidence of ionizing radiation exposure during service, and the appellant's income exceeded the maximum threshold for pension benefits.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for death pension benefits, finding that her net worth exceeded reasonable thresholds between March 2016 and February 21, 2017. The Board concluded that it was not equitable to grant the benefit prior to this date.

The Board restored the Veteran's disability rating for dysthymic disorder to 50 percent prior to October 16, 2014. The appeal of an increased rating was denied.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this case.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as the benefit sought on appeal was granted and reinstatement of survivor’s pension benefits with entitlement to aid and attendance was granted from December 1, 2017.

The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with previous remand directives regarding a VA opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's acute lymphocytic leukemia and in-service exposure to radiation and electromagnetic fields.

The Veteran's service-connected gout arthritis in his bilateral great toes rendered him eligible for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as of May 30, 2008. The effective date for basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) was also granted as of the same date.