Other conditions decisions — 2020

The claim for service connection for cause of the Veteran’s death has been reopened. The Board finds new and material evidence to support reopening the claim, but remands for further development including obtaining treatment records and a medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 40 percent for his back condition and for TDIU due to lack of recent VA examination, incomplete SSA records, and need for clarification on functional loss during flare-ups.

The Board denied reopening claims for service connection for gastritis, right and left finger numbness due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's exposure to ionizing radiation during service caused his pancreatic cancer, which was the cause of his death. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of death is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for a waiver of recovery of an overpayment of VA improved pension benefits, finding that recovery would not be against equity and good conscience due to the Veteran's fault in underreporting his income.

The Veteran's claim is being remanded to obtain his Army Reserve dental records and to clarify the specific date and location of any VA treatment that resulted in additional dental disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient explanation of whether the Veteran had incapacitating episodes and how his eye condition affects him. A new medical examination is required to address these issues.

The Veteran's Hodgkin's lymphoma was not incurred or aggravated by service, including herbicide exposure. The claim is denied.

The Veteran's income exceeded the maximum annual pension rate, resulting in a denial of nonservice-connected pension benefits.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's stomach disability, claimed as secondary to his service-connected psychiatric disorder, requires further examination and opinion before a final decision can be made.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for veteran status due to his discharge under other than honorable conditions based on an offense involving moral turpitude.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD) due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its relationship with military service and whether it was aggravated by a service-connected condition.

The Veteran is found not competent to handle disbursement of VA funds due to his mental incapacity related to schizoaffective disorder, depressive type.

The Board has remanded the case due to unclear information on when the Veteran's hiatal hernia symptoms first became severe and whether there were intermediate stages of considerable impairment. Further development is needed.

The Board has remanded the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to incomplete records from Social Security Administration.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for pulmonary fibrosis, finding that his current condition is due to in-service construction exposure to silica dust.

The Board has granted service connection for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) due to exposure to chemicals while in service, including benzene and TCE.

The Board denied a compensable initial rating for the Veteran's healed orbital floor fracture, right eye disability due to lack of evidence showing corrected visual acuity of at least 20/50 in the right eye. The Board also found no secondary service connection between the diagnosed right eye visual field defect and September 2016 diagnosed right eye neuropathy and the service-connected healed right eye orbital floor fracture.

The Veteran's degenerative spondylosis (L4-L5) lumbar spine was denied a rating in excess of 20 percent prior to September 23, 2019 and from September 23, 2019 onward. The current ratings are considered appropriate based on the severity of his symptoms.

The Board has not provided the Veteran with necessary documents and information related to his claim, including a copy of the January 2013 SOC, February 2013 substantive appeal, July 2013 Board hearing transcript, and June 2019 SSOC. Further development is required.