Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection for right arm arthritis, left arm arthritis, and muscle pain. The Veteran's assertions regarding her conditions have been considered.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) is related to his service-connected exposure to Agent Orange, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran's service did not occur during a period of war, thus he does not meet the threshold requirement for eligibility to receive nonservice-connected pension benefits.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of death and the Veteran's exposure during service.

The Board denied service connection for a left hip and left leg disability, finding that the Veteran does not have such a disability attributable to active service.

The Veteran's surviving spouse is not eligible for VA death pension benefits due to her income exceeding the statutory maximum rate.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current left arm nerve disability for VA purposes and denied his claim of service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inextricably intertwined issues, including a claim of entitlement to compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 and a TDIU prior to December 30, 2008.

The Veteran's death was not service-connected, and the appellant did not provide evidence of an original or reopened claim for VA compensation or pension benefits. The Veteran died at his residence without being discharged from active duty due to a disability incurred in the line of duty. As such, burial benefits are denied.

The claim for nonservice-connected burial benefits is denied because the application was not filed within two years of the Veteran's burial.

The Veteran's death was not service-connected, and the appellant is seeking higher burial benefits due to his death at a state Veterans nursing home. However, the appeal is denied as there are no legal grounds for awarding additional burial benefits.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because the claimant died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for a rating greater than 10 percent for his service-connected pleural plaques was denied as the evidence did not support higher ratings due to the presence of nonservice-connected COPD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hernia disability and therefore service connection for residuals of an inguinal hernia is denied.,A rating of 20 percent, but no higher, for right leg varicose veins is granted. The Veteran's job requires him to stand for approximately 16 hours a day, resulting in persistent edema and pain in his legs.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and opinion regarding service connection for respiratory disability and residuals of bilateral upper and lower extremity cold injury due to lack of medical opinions on exposure basis.

The appeal was dismissed due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right hand neurological disability was denied, and his claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right dorsal elbow scar and right-hand digital scars were also denied.

The Veteran's prostate disability is remanded for further examination and opinion due to the lack of a formal diagnosis, but with evidence of various prostate abnormalities. The Board finds that another VA examination and medical nexus opinion on direct service connection is warranted.

The Board found that the reduction of a nonservice-connected pension effective November 1, 2014 was proper due to the Veteran's receipt of Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits. The decision does not address service connection or exposure basis.

The appeal was dismissed due to the appellant's death.