Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left foot hammertoes are related to her service-connected pes planus, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral leg length discrepancy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right hip disability.

The Veteran's skin disorder, including chloracne, is being remanded for a supplemental VA medical opinion to determine if it is at least as likely as not related to presumed herbicide exposure during service.

A 40 percent rating for recurrent UTI from March 4, 2010 to July 22, 2011 is granted.,A 40 percent rating for recurrent UTI from March 9, 2015 is granted.

The Veteran's surviving spouse is not entitled to an increased rate under 38 U.S.C. § 1311 (a)(2) due to the fact that they were not married for the entire eight-year period prior to the Veteran’s death.

The Board denied payment or reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Catawba Valley Medical Center on September 3, 2016 due to the lack of pre-authorization and because the treatment was not for a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for colon polyps, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current condition and his military service or exposure to herbicides.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for service-connected right hip DJD and for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities. The claims are being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling an appropriate VA examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right elbow disorders, as well as trans ischemic attack (TIA)/stroke residuals due to inadequate opinions in previous evaluations.

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral planter fasciitis and a gynecological/menstrual disorder due to lack of medical opinions addressing direct service connection. The Veteran's active duty military entrance examinations are needed for both issues.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for fracture, frontal skull and orbital, bilateral, was granted with an evaluation of 30 percent prior to August 31, 2007, and 10 percent from August 31, 2007 to August 21, 2014.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected residuals of fractured right ulnar styloid with arthritis (minor) is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at St. Vincent’s Medical Facility from February 11, 2015 to February 18, 2015 is being remanded due to the lack of timely filing and missing VA treatment records.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for DIC benefits, finding that the most recent request to reopen the claim was received on July 30, 2014. The effective date is therefore set at the date of receipt of the claim to reopen (July 30, 2014).

The Veteran's appeals for an earlier effective date for adding his spouse to his VA disability compensation and removing his former spouse from it were denied. The Board found that the earliest possible effective dates have already been assigned.

The Board denied the reduction of the appellant's compensation benefits due to incarceration, as proper notice and procedures were followed.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the timeliness of an earlier submitted VA Form 9 for a Statement of the Case (SOC) dated October 20, 2016. As a result, the Board dismissed the appeal.

The Veteran's cause of death was not caused by or related to any service-connected disability, including those potentially linked to his exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right hip disorders, finding no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his period of active duty or any already service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's death benefits were denied because the appellant was over the age of 23 at the time of his father's death, and therefore not eligible for DIC based on school attendance.