Other conditions decisions — 2020

The Board has determined that a new and material evidence submission is necessary to reopen the Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral eye disability, which was previously denied in November 2012. The decision also requires a VA examination to determine if the Veteran’s bilateral eye disability is caused by or aggravated by his service-connected sarcoidosis.

The Board has granted a rating of 30 percent for the Veteran's service-connected left foot disability, which is severe in nature and affects his ability to walk and stand.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for further investigation regarding the appellant's living situation and medical expenses, specifically whether her assisted living costs are reimbursable.

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in the evidence of record, specifically regarding the Veteran's periods of service from August 4, 2003 to August 20, 2003; July 2, 2004 to July 20, 2004; September 19, 2005 to September 22, 2005; September 26, 2005 to September 29, 2005; March 23, 2008 to March 28, 2008 and October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014. The Board instructed the AOJ to contact DoD for clarification on these periods of service.

The Veteran's claim for a separate extraschedular rating of 20 percent, but no higher, for residuals of a right inguinal hernia repair with chronic right groin pain was granted. The Board found that the Veteran’s symptoms were not contemplated by the applicable rating criteria and referred his case to the Director of Compensation Services.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for benefits related to spina bifida, finding no evidence of the condition and that the appellant is not a child of a Vietnam veteran who has spina bifida.

The Board denied death pension benefits because the appellant did not live continuously with the Veteran from the date of marriage to the date of his death, and their separation was due to marital discord rather than the Veteran's misconduct.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and updated treatment records, as well as an opinion on whether the Veteran's current psychiatric conditions are related to his in-service incident involving a car collision.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for his service-connected left varicocele condition due to inadequate medical evidence and the need for further examination.

The Board denied the claim of basic eligibility for nonservice-connected death pension benefits, finding that the Appellant could not be recognized as I.M.'s legal spouse at the time of his death due to a lack of valid marriage.

The Board has determined that the matter is not ripe for appellate review due to procedural issues and requests additional information from both parties regarding custody and child support arrangements.

The Board has denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a left eye disability due to VA medical treatment, finding that the Veteran did not sustain an additional disability and thus no causation was established.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further evaluation of his stomach condition and adjustment disorder. The Board finds that the current ratings do not accurately reflect the severity of his conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral eye disorder, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability and insufficient evidence to establish a link between any past in-service events and his current condition.

The Veteran's back disability did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent from August 10, 2015 to March 30, 2016, July 1, 2016 to July 18, 2018, and November 1, 2018 to July 8, 2019. The Veteran's back disability was also not entitled to a rating in excess of 20 percent from July 9, 2019.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine if there is a link between the Veteran's current testicular lymphoma and his service, as well as to assess the severity of his major depressive disorder and plantar fasciitis with Morton’s neuroma.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical opinions and requests a new opinion regarding whether the post-polio syndrome began in service, was caused by service, or is otherwise related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bone spur (bilateral bunions), arthritis of the left big toe, back pain, and neck condition. The reasons given were that there was no evidence of aggravation during service or any increase in severity beyond natural progression, and the current conditions are not related to service-connected disabilities.

The appellant withdrew her appeal regarding the validity of a $30,350 debt due to overpayment from Social Security Administration. The Board dismissed the appeal as there are no allegations of errors of fact or law for appellate consideration.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of his right leg disorders. The Veteran is asked to provide authorization for VA to obtain any relevant private treatment records, and he should be scheduled for a VA examination.