Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The rating for numbness to the left parietal area of the scalp of cranial nerve V was also denied.

The Veteran's appeal for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability was dismissed because the Veteran died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's son is denied accrued benefits as there was no evidence to verify the amount of assisted living expenses paid by him for his mother, and he did not qualify as a child for VA purposes.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and readjudication. Specifically, a VA examination is needed for the left foot condition, and the issues of service connection for upper teeth loss and pension are to be addressed.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient notice provided to the appellant regarding what evidence is necessary to support a claim for reimbursement of medical care and expenses paid on behalf of the Veteran prior to his death.

The Veteran's private medical care at Oak Hill Hospital on April 5, 2014 was not authorized in advance by VA and did not meet the definition of an 'emergency' requiring reimbursement. The claim for payment or reimbursement is denied.

The veteran's service does not qualify for nonservice-connected pension benefits as it did not occur during a period of war.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The claim will be reviewed again with the inclusion of a VA examination and any additional relevant evidence.

The Veteran's traumatic amputation of digits two, three, four, and five of the left hand is currently rated at 40 percent. The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding a rating greater than 40 percent and referral to the Under Secretary for Benefits or the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The claim to reopen the cause of death was granted, but service connection for the cause of death remains denied as there is no direct evidence linking it to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal as his irrevocable election to receive Post-9/11 GI Bill educational assistance benefits in lieu of MGIB was valid.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and unclear accounting of pension payments made between June 2012 and September 2013. The Veteran is seeking clarification on whether he was entitled to any payments in excess of those already granted, specifically regarding a $1052.00 per month withholding effective June 1, 2012.

The appellant was denied recognition as the surviving spouse of the Veteran for VA death benefits because she was divorced from him at the time of his death.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's uterine fibroids were aggravated by her third period of service from April 2014 to July 2014.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the pension rate determination from August 1, 2014 to the present before a decision was made by the Board.

The Veteran's claim for initial evaluations of his service-connected abdominis rectus muscle condition is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development.

The claim for nonservice-connected burial benefits was denied due to an untimely application filed more than two years after the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's surviving spouse had no pending claims for additional compensation at the time of her death and there were no unpaid VA benefits due. The appellant, who is not a child for accrued benefits purposes, did not provide evidence that she paid expenses related to her mother's last sickness or burial.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the appellant's income is excessive for VA death pension benefits, and has therefore remanded the case.

The claim for nonservice-connected burial benefits was denied due to an untimely application, as the appellant did not file her application within two years of the Veteran's cremation.