Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Veteran's right foot bunion was granted service connection. The Veteran's left foot PO bunionectomy disability is denied an increased rating.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's oropharyngeal cancer was neither incurred in active service nor related to an incident therein and may not be presumed to have been.,The Veteran does not currently have any intestinal problems.

The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty about whether the Veteran's leukemia is related to his service, given presumed exposure to herbicides. The case will be sent back for further evaluation by a VA physician.

The Veteran seeks Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits for the appellant, who is under 14 years old and not yet eligible due to his age. The Board denied the claim as the appellant does not meet the eligibility criteria.

The Veteran's discharge from active duty service was a general discharge under honorable conditions due to misconduct. As this does not meet the eligibility requirements for VA educational assistance benefits, his appeal is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection for enlarged heart and jaw surgery residuals, finding no new and material evidence. The ratings for post traumatic arthritis of the left ring finger and tenosynovitis of the left long finger were also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and a need for clarification of certain aspects of the death certificate.

The Board has granted payment or reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Paris Regional Medical Center on October 17, 2012 due to the Veteran's severe abdominal pain and diarrhea. The matter of whether payment or reimbursement is warranted for August 27, 2012 treatment remains pending as additional records are needed.

The Board denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's left thigh, leg disability status post excision of myositis ossificans due to lack of evidence of malunion or nonunion of the femur.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if the Veteran served within 12 nautical miles of the Republic of Vietnam and whether his stroke is related to herbicide exposure. The case will be returned to the Board after completion of this development.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative changes of the right fifth metacarpal joint are rated at a 10 percent disability rating, effective January 23, 1990.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hand injury and a compensable rating for gastritis due to lack of recent medical examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for transient vision loss secondary to PTSD and an initial compensable rating for chest wall strain have been denied. The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms are already contemplated by his existing PTSD disability rating, and there is no separate diagnosis of a vision loss disorder or muscle injury.

The Veteran's service-connected cold injury residuals of the bilateral lower extremities are rated at 30 percent effective December 5, 1945 to January 12, 1998. Effective on and after January 12, 1998, his right and left lower extremities are each rated at 30 percent.

The Veteran's VA benefits were retroactively reduced due to a divorce, creating an overpayment. The Veteran requested a waiver of the debt but did not provide sufficient documentation to support his claim within the 180-day deadline.

The Veteran's TIA and associated residuals occurred during service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's ulcer is secondary to his service-connected hernia conditions. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board found that the Veteran's pulmonary embolism was not incurred in service and is not related to his service-connected reactive airway disease. The appeal for service connection for a pulmonary embolism is denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection of a neck condition. The VA examination conducted in October 2016 did not consider the Veteran’s lay statements regarding his injury during service, which is necessary to form an adequate opinion on the etiology of his current neck disability.