Other conditions decisions — 2020

The Board has not made a decision on service connection, but has remanded the case due to non-compliance with previous directives regarding the appellant's discharge upgrade application.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left leg strain, finding that it is proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected right foot bunion.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral eye disability and its relationship to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for gastritis, peripheral neuropathy, heart condition, and kidney condition as secondary to gastritis due to inadequate medical opinions and potential issues with continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ear disability, including otitis media. The claim will be reviewed again with additional medical opinions and development.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left hip disorders as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability. The issues of initial increased ratings for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, increased ratings for right and left knee degenerative joint disease and instability, and total disability rating based on individual unemployability are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding the impact of repetition over time and flare-ups on the Veteran's left hand arthritis. A new examination is required.

The Veteran's cause of death, a gunshot wound to the right arm/chest resulting in exsanguination and laceration of lung and pulmonary artery, is not related to his service-connected disabilities. The Board finds that these conditions did not contribute substantially or materially to cause death.

Your claim for service connection for tooth enamel erosion for dental treatment purposes has been granted as secondary to your already service-connected GERD. This decision is dismissed because the grant was intended but mistakenly labeled as a denial.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the cause of death and the nature and etiology of the Veteran's supranuclear ophthalmoplegia, which is related to presumed exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hip arthritis did not onset in service or within one year of his separation from service, and is not related to any service-connected condition. Therefore, service connection for this disability cannot be granted.

The Veteran's request for a waiver of recovery of the overpayment of compensation benefits in the amount of $37,332.67 is timely and the appeal is remanded to adjudicate the issue.

The Veteran's benefits are apportioned to the appellant in the amount of the dependency allowance for each dependent child from the Veteran’s VA disability compensation benefits, on behalf of K.N.C. and K.T.C. prior to May 23, 2015 and December [REDACTED], 2018, respectively.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for ocular histoplasmosis was granted, with the effective date set at February 10, 2006. The rating has been increased to 40 percent from March 25, 2013 to December 19, 2017.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for service-connected adjustment disorder with depressed mood is remanded due to the need for a new examination to assess the severity of his disability.

The Veteran's Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is currently rated based on knee manifestations, but the Board notes that his disability affects all of his joints. The RO should consider all applicable diagnostic codes to determine which is/are most appropriate for the Veteran’s disability and schedule an examination to assess the current severity of his Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a direct relationship between his current condition and active service. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish secondary service connection due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's patellofemoral pain syndrome of the left knee is rated at 20 percent, and a separate 10 percent rating for slight instability is granted.

The Board dismissed the claims of service connection for skin rash and left lower extremity disorder, as well as the claim for an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD from July 6, 2011 to April 9, 2014 and in excess of 70 percent thereafter. The Board also remanded the issue of TDIU prior to July 6, 2011.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for left tarsal bone arthritis, effective October 28, 2009. The claim for TDIU on an extraschedular basis pursuant to 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b) is remanded.