Other conditions decisions — 2020

The Board has denied service connection for a bilateral hip disorder, finding that the condition is not causally or etiologically due to service and is not proximately due to or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inconsistencies in the Veteran's employment history and the need for a new VA examination to assess his right arm disability.

The Veteran's claims for malaria and a rash disability have been denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions.,Bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disability (to include depression), sleep disability, vertigo, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, stroke, arthritis, left wrist disability, and bilateral upper extremity neuropathy are all remanded for further development.

The Veteran's complications of transobturator tape placement, including sling erosion, are denied as the preponderance of evidence shows no additional disability was caused by VA carelessness or negligence.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for the right index finger disability prior to September 16, 2019 and denied entitlement to higher ratings from that date forward.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to incomplete records and the need for updated financial information. The Board will review his claim of financial hardship.

The Veteran is granted a 10 percent rating for residuals, status post excision of pilonidal cyst from November 24, 2012 to June 23, 2019.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination regarding potential additional disability caused by VA medical treatment.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for chronic respiratory disease due to incomplete medical records and a need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient verification of herbicide exposure in Korea, and it is requested that the AOJ determine if the Veteran or his unit was exposed to herbicides while serving in Korea from January 1968 to April 1968.

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

The Board granted increased disability ratings of 40 percent for numbness and dysesthesias of the right leg and left leg, both diagnosed as moderately severe incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve, effective from August 12, 2014.

The Veteran's DJD of the right thumb is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's dementia was at least as likely as not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for glioblastoma multiforme (brain cancer) as it did not become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more within one year following his discharge from active duty, and there was no evidence linking the brain cancer to exposure to environmental hazards in service. The Board also found that the Veteran's glioblastoma was not related to Gulf War environmental hazards.

The Veteran's cause of death (AML due to myelodysplasia) is granted as service-connected, with the Board finding that his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam likely contributed to his condition.

The Board dismissed the claim as the service connection for central retinal artery occlusion was granted in a December 2017 rating decision, resolving the issue.

The Veteran's service-connected left thumb disability is rated at 10 percent, but the Board found that there was no evidence of ankylosis or a gap greater than two inches between the thumb pad and fingers. The Veteran’s symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5228.

The Board has determined that the matter is not ripe for appellate review as there are outstanding issues regarding the parties' income and expenses. The case is remanded to obtain updated information about their income and expenses.

The Veteran's appeal for automobile or adaptive equipment was dismissed due to his death before the decision could be resolved.