Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Veteran's service-connected pancreatitis prevents him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for follicular lymphoma was granted in September 2008 with a noncompensable rating and effective date of February 15, 2008. The RO did not consider the issue of TDIU at that time.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied in August 2014 without consideration of whether he had filed an earlier informal claim or if his PTSD rendered him unemployable.

The Veteran's recurrent right parotid mixed tumor was granted service connection due to exposure to herbicide agents during his military service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to incomplete records and the need for further development regarding whether a VA facility was available for continued treatment after stabilization.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and the need for an updated Financial Status Report from the Veteran. The issues of the validity of the overpayment debt and entitlement to a waiver of recovery are inextricably intertwined, so both must be addressed together.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left foot hyperkeratosis disabilities, finding that they most closely approximated a moderate foot injury. The claim for TDIU was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for residuals of a right parotidectomy on the right side of the jaw was denied because there is no evidence that VA carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or other instance of fault caused his additional disability.

The Veteran is not competent to handle disbursement of VA funds due to significant cognitive impairment and poor understanding of his medical condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and failure to comply with prior directives. The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a cold injury is being reviewed again.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, and found that the proper effective date is October 27, 2010.

The Veteran's service-connected chronic adjustment disorder was manifested by occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity from June 5, 2015 to December 27, 2016. The Board granted a 50% rating for this period.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records, specifically SSA and VA treatment records. The Veteran's claim for service connection for scleroderma will be reconsidered after these records are obtained.

The Veteran's accrued benefits claim was denied as the application was not filed within one year of his death.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for additional accrued benefits based on an earlier effective date for the award of non service-connected pension benefits and special monthly pension (SMP) based on the regular need for aid and attendance of another person. The decision found that no unadjudicated formal or informal claims were submitted prior to February 1997, and there was no evidence in VA's possession at the Veteran's date of death indicating he was entitled to benefits prior to February 1997.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and an independent medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's neuropathic pain from left cheek cyst removal is due to VA fault or an event not reasonably foreseeable.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a vision disability due to the need for additional medical examination and records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's compression fracture of the thoracic spine is service-connected as it was manifest during active duty and related to an in-service injury.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for left meralgia paresthetica. The case is now remanded for further development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for nonservice-connected death pension benefits and remanded the DIC based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death. The appeal is now pending again.

The Board denied the reopening of a previously denied claim for service connection for cause of death due to lack of new and material evidence, as all submitted evidence was cumulative or redundant.