Other conditions decisions — 2019

The appeal for the survivor's pension is dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to new evidence received since the prior RO denial, and because of concerns about the adequacy of the VA examination. The Veteran's claim is now considered as an original claim rather than a petition to reopen.

The Veteran's death from AIDS is denied as there is no evidence linking his service to the development of AIDS.

The VA denied the appellant's claim for burial benefits as her surviving spouse was already awarded $2,000.00 in service-connected burial benefits.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's death, and no further action will be taken on these claims.

The Veteran's service connection claim for multiple lipomas (Dercum's disease) is granted as the condition began during his military service.

The Board denied service connection for breast cancer on a direct basis, finding that the Veteran's breast cancer was not incurred in or related to her military service. The decision cited lack of evidence supporting a nexus between her exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and her breast cancer.

The Veteran's Castleman's disease is related to his herbicide exposure in service and the Board has granted entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for aortic valve stenosis with atrial fibrillation, finding that there is no link between his condition and herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the cases for further action due to a duty to assist error regarding radiation exposure. The appellant is diagnosed with multiple myeloma and solitary plasmacytoma, but his service records do not indicate he was exposed to radioactive material at Weldon Spring, Missouri.

The Veteran's degenerative joint disease and gouty arthritis of the right knee with scar were not incurred in or aggravated by service, is not attributable to service, and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error in the February 2018 VA examination, which did not clearly address whether the proximate cause of the Veteran's stroke residuals was any failure on the part of VA personnel.

The Board has determined that the appellant is entitled to nonservice-connected death pension benefits due to her income being less than the maximum annual pension rate (MAPR) and she meets other eligibility requirements.

The Veteran's service-connected metatarsalgia of the bilateral feet status post fractures has been manifested by pain of moderate severity that has limited his ability to walk. The Board denied an initial schedular rating in excess of 10 percent for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial rating for service-connected dyshidrosis has been denied. The appeal is also remanded for further evaluation of his claims regarding gout and recurrent pneumonia.,Service connection for gout, including as secondary to service-connected dyshidrosis, and service connection for recurrent pneumonia are both being remanded due to insufficient rationale in the previous VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim to establish service connection for Parkinson’s disease has been reopened, but the issue remains denied on the merits. The Board is remanding the case for additional development and examination.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected left hand disability is being remanded due to the need for a new examination to assess the current severity of his condition.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses from August 14, 2016 at Shands Jacksonville was denied because the claim was not filed within the required 90-day period and there was no evidence that the Veteran attempted to obtain payment from a third party.

The Board is unable to make a decision on the claims for payment or reimbursement of medical services received at Baptist Medical Center on August 13, 2014, and August 31, 2014 due to missing records. The Veteran's representative has not provided statements on their behalf.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to incomplete information and evidence.