Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of schistosoma japonicum and clonorchis sinensis (liver fluke) infections is denied as he does not have a present disability related to these in-service parasite infections.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for pericarditis has been dismissed due to his death while the appeal was pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for edema from lower back to feet with pain, circulation problems, and numbness, as well as his claim for service connection for anemia due to additional evidence received since the last decision.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the waiver of overpayment for nonservice-connected pension benefits, so the case is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's heart issues are caused or aggravated by her service-connected hypertension and/or acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal concerning the issue of entitlement to service connection for tooth loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to incomplete medical opinions and the need for additional evidence. The issues of a higher rating for his left eye disability and TDIU are also being remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance/housebound status was dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's surviving spouse is denied eligibility for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits due to the appellant living with another person of the opposite sex after the Veteran's death.

The Board denied service connection for schizoaffective disorder as the evidence did not show a link between current symptoms and active service.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings and earlier effective dates for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the left and right knees was denied.,The Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for chondromalacia patella were also denied.

The Veteran's cause of death, brain cancer, was not service-connected. The Board found no evidence linking the brain cancer to his military service or exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and colonic polyps and tubular adenoma disability, status post hemicolectomy, both of which he claimed were due to an undiagnosed Gulf War illness. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any known clinical diagnosis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a leg length discrepancy (LLD) caused by VA carelessness, negligence or lack of proper skill during his total hip arthroplasty surgeries in August and October 2011.

The Veteran's service connection claim for leukopenia was denied as the finding itself is not a disability. The Board found that there is nothing in the medical record that suggests the presence of an underlying pathologic basis for the laboratory finding of leukopenia, and no evidence of impairment in earning capacity related to this single test result.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the appellant did not provide evidence of in-service herbicide exposure. Therefore, his cause of death is denied.

The Veteran's pension benefits were retroactively reduced due to unreported income from Social Security Administration (SSA). The Board is remanding the case for further action, including recalculation of benefit amounts and overpayment determination based on unreimbursed medical expenses.

The Veteran's overpayment of VA compensation benefits due to concurrent receipt of disability compensation and military drill pay for 68 days in FY 2015 was found proper, resulting in a denial of the appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are attributable to service exposure to herbicide agents, specifically Agent Orange. The appeal was based on presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's initial compensable evaluation for nephritis is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his kidney disability.