Other conditions decisions — 2020

The Veteran's surviving spouse was entitled to accrued benefits for burial expenses, but the appellant is not a dependent child and did not pay these expenses. Therefore, her claim for accrued benefits beyond reimbursement of final expenses is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's income was below the National Means Test due to medical expenses, thus changing his means test eligibility category from copay exempt to copay required in the VA healthcare system for income year 2017 was improper and granted the appeal.

The Veteran's surviving daughter was denied entitlement to survivor's pension benefits as the claim is not legally possible due to the date of death and the effective date requirements.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for DIC benefits, finding that the additional service department and DoD records did not provide a basis for the grant of service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bladder disorder is denied as there is no clinical diagnosis of the condition. The appeal for throat disorder is remanded to obtain an examination and determine if it is related to service, including exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's appeal is dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this case.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the death of the Veteran, as the claim for apportionment of VA compensation benefit has become moot.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for sickle cell disease due to new and material evidence. The case is now remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for myelofibrosis and acute myelocytic leukemia, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam service.

The Board denied service connection for a nasal polyp, finding that the Veteran's opinion was of low probative value and that his nasal polyp was not caused by exposure to environmental hazards in Southwest Asia.

The Board denied the Veteran's surviving spouse's request for accrued benefits, as the Appellant did not qualify as a child to whom such benefits could be paid and he specifically stated that he did not pay any qualifying expenses.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's systemic autoimmune disease is related to service.

The Veteran requested to withdraw their appeal for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the vocal cords, and as a result, the Board dismissed this issue.

The Board has granted secondary service connection for lymphedema, finding that it was aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected prostate cancer.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for adjustment disorder with mixed disturbance of emotions from July 30, 2014 was denied as the evidence did not show total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's claim for basic eligibility to MGIB education assistance benefits was denied because he did not withdraw his election to disenroll from the program during the required period.

The Veteran's adult daughter does not have standing to file a claim for special monthly pension, for accrued benefits purposes due to her age and the lack of evidence showing she paid last illness expenses. The appeal is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right elbow disability is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for compensation for a pancreatic aneurysm is being remanded due to the addition of new VA treatment records since his last Supplemental Statement of the Case. The case will be reconsidered by the RO with consideration of these additional records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertrophic cardiomyopathy did not manifest during service or within one year of separation, and is not related to herbicide exposure. Therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.