Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for his service-connected ventral hernia is being remanded due to conflicting symptoms and the need for additional examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete medical records and the need for a new opinion regarding whether the Veteran's heart conditions are related to service or exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Appellant's claim for death pension is denied because she did not meet the legal requirements to be considered a surviving spouse of the Veteran.

The Veteran's vocal cord dysfunction, joint pain, and nausea are all found to be related to her service. The claims for these conditions have been granted.

The Board is remanding the issues of service connection for chest pain, right arm disability, and groin pain due to a month-to-month accounting of compensation benefits payments. The Veteran's overpayment claim related to his child's dependency status will also be addressed.

The Veteran's claim for CRDP prior to January 2004 is denied as the effective date of CRDP was January 1, 2004.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for cause of the Veteran's death and granted it, finding that the evidence is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's colon cancer was caused by his active service, including exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's esophagitis with esophageal reflux is not manifested by persistently recurrent epigastric distress with dysphagia, pyrosis, and regurgitation, accompanied by substernal or arm or shoulder pain, productive of considerable impairment of health. The claim for an initial rating greater than 10 percent for esophagitis with esophageal reflux is denied.

The Veteran's death was caused by metastatic rectal cancer, which is not service-connected. The Board finds that the service-connected conditions did not contribute substantially or materially to cause his death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and autoimmune hemolytic anemia are remanded due to inadequate opinions from the May 2015 VA examiner. Additional development is needed, including obtaining inpatient or outpatient clinical records during service, SSA records, and a new opinion regarding whether the conditions are related to parasitic illnesses caused by contaminated water.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for residuals of a left ring finger amputation was denied, while his claim for an increased 40 percent rating for impairments of the left thumb, index finger, long finger, and little finger was granted.

The claim to reopen the final denial of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death was denied due to lack of new and material evidence.,DIC benefits were also denied as there is no causal link between VA treatment and the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, specifically to issue a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) addressing the Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of the right elbow.

The Veteran's breast cancer was not incurred in service and is not related to her military service, including exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left eye disorder, including pinguecula, as it was not related to active service or his service-connected vitreous floater.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his death was not due to willful misconduct and was incurred in the line of duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed alcohol use disorder is aggravated by his service-connected unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder, thus granting service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an undiagnosed Gulf War illness manifested by cardiovascular signs or symptoms, finding that there was no evidence of a diagnosed disability and attributing any reported symptoms to his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder.

The claim for accrued benefits is denied.,The claim for burial benefits and reimbursement of burial costs is denied.,The claim for reimbursement of medical expenses provided from April 6, 2010 to January [redacted], 2013 is denied.

The Board found that the Appellant and her brother filed a timely notice of disagreement within one year of the surviving spouse's death, and thus remanded the case for further review.