Other conditions decisions — 2020

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of a stroke as secondary to his service-connected DM II, finding that the evidence is at least equipoise on whether the stroke was caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right hand and finger disability is related to service, including credible reports of cold exposure during service.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant requested to withdraw their appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's oropharyngeal cancer is related to herbicide exposure in service. The VA examiner needs to address the Veteran’s history of smoking and quitting.

The Board has not fully addressed the appellant's income and medical expenses for each year of the appeal period, leading to a remand. The case will be returned after further development.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder was denied. The Board found that the Veteran’s disability picture is characterized by occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, but not severe enough to meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for forgetfulness and diarrhea disabilities are remanded due to inadequate VA examination reports.

The Veteran's adjustment disorder with depressed mood is rated at 30 percent prior to October 16, 2015, and at 70 percent since then. The Board found that the Veteran's condition most nearly approximates a rating of 30 percent for the period between May 16, 2014, to October 15, 2015, and a rating of 70 percent from October 16, 2015, thereafter.

The Veteran's claims for skin, joint pain, and gastrointestinal conditions claimed as medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness are denied. The effective date of service connection for right knee arthritis is granted on March 7, 2019.

The Veteran is granted a clothing allowance due to the use of skin medication for his service-connected skin disorder, as these medications cause irreparable damage to clothing.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error and requires a more detailed opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected lumbar strain and his left hip strain.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a retroactive payment for over recovery of a $4,800.00 lump sum payment made by VA on February 1, 2005, for apportionment payments that accrued from October 1, 2003 through April 1, 2009, finding no clear evidence to the contrary regarding additional monthly deductions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a distinct sleep disorder (insomnia) separate from his service-connected PTSD, major depressive disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea disabilities. Therefore, service connection for insomnia is denied.

The Veteran's overpayment debt is due to concurrent receipt of active service pay for a period of 4 drill days in FY 2014. The issue is whether the Veteran was paid for these 4 days, not if he attended drill training exercises.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for foot conditions (hammer toes, hallux valgus, and loss of longitudinal arch) as well as her claim for a disability rating for bilateral foot calluses. The Board found that there was no evidence to support that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active duty service.

The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for additional dependency compensation based on his daughter's school attendance. The case is remanded to obtain specific dates of her attendance at Hillsborough Community College during the Summer and Fall terms.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's deviated nasal septum, finding that it was aggravated by an in-service injury while playing basketball.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the cause of death and the etiology of stomach cancer. The appellant contends that the Veteran's stomach cancer was caused by Agent Orange exposure or benzene exposure during service.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal, so the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's right eye aphakia has resulted in complete blindness, and he is now entitled to a 40 percent rating for this condition.