Other conditions decisions — 2019

The Board dismissed the appeals for increased ratings as the appellant's agent requested a withdrawal of the appeal in September 2017.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his lung conditions to his active duty service or any other condition.

The Veteran's cause of death, glioblastoma, is presumed to be related to his exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. The Board finds the evidence at least in equipoise as to whether this exposure caused the glioblastoma and grants service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran's spouse filed a claim for an apportionment of the Veteran’s VA benefits, but as she was not married to the Veteran at the time of filing, she is denied entitlement to an apportionment.

The appeal was dismissed because the appellant died before a decision could be made.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic myelogenous leukemia has been granted. The claim for service connection for a bilateral foot disorder is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic myelogenous leukemia has been granted. The claim for service connection for a bilateral foot disorder is remanded.

The appeal has been dismissed because the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal and thus, the Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this case.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits, finding that his income exceeded the maximum annual pension rate (MAPR) and thus he was ineligible for the benefit.

The Veteran's service-connected traumatic and stressor-related disorder is currently rated at 30 percent, but the Board finds no evidence of more than occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Veteran's initial compensable ratings for bilateral knee Degenerative Joint Disease have been remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Veteran's prostate disorder, diagnosed as Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH), was denied service connection due to lack of evidence linking it to herbicide exposure. However, the Veteran's private doctor provided an opinion suggesting a link between BPH and Agent Orange exposure.

The Board granted payment or reimbursement of medical expenses for the Veteran's emergency treatment at Bristol Regional Medical Center due to his abdominal pain and kidney stone, finding that delay in seeking immediate medical attention would have been hazardous to life or health.

The Veteran's appeal for an increase in nonservice-connected pension benefits has been dismissed due to the appellant withdrawing the appeal.

The Veteran's non-emergent receipt of prescription medication from Fry’s Pharmacy on December 3, 2014 was not authorized by VA and thus payment or reimbursement for these expenses is denied.

The Board denied the appellant's appeal because her request for a waiver of recovery of an overpayment was untimely filed, as she did not submit evidence showing that she did not receive notice of the overpayment debt.

The Veteran's claim for educational assistance benefits under Chapter 33 for reimbursement of licensing and certification test fees prior to March 15, 2014 is denied as the tests were taken more than a year before the date VA received his claim.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied because he did not respond to VA requests for information and completed forms, making it impossible to determine if he is unemployable due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for emphysema, finding that the Veteran's in-service exposure to various toxins and chemicals likely caused his current lung condition.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for erythema multiforme is being remanded due to the submission of additional VA treatment records since the May 2016 statement of the case. The AOJ will review these new records and readjudicate the issue.