Other conditions decisions — 2020

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for emergency room visit from February 8, 2014 to February 10, 2014 are granted as the treatment was necessary due to a condition that would have been hazardous if delayed and there were no feasible VA options available.

The Board denied service connection for a respiratory disability and a left elbow disability, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service or an increase in severity during service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left foot nerve conditions due to a lack of clarity in the nexus opinion provided by the VA examiner.

The Board denied service connection for left leg restless leg syndrome, finding that it is not caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected arthritis of the thoracic spine.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for a spine/back disability due to insufficient clarification from the examiner regarding whether the congenital condition is a disease or defect, and if it arose during active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral varicose veins, which are aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's periodontal disease is related to his exposure to Agent Orange during service.

The Veteran's appeal is for a compensable rating for right elbow limitation of pronation, prior to June 8, 2017, and in excess of 20 percent therefrom. The case was remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for reactive arthritis, claimed as Reiter's syndrome must be remanded due to inadequate medical opinions and need for additional development.

The Veteran's ventral hernia with diastasis recti was granted a 20 percent rating, but no more, prior to January 5, 2020.

The Veteran's service connection for chronic inflammation of the lung tissue is granted, and her tension headaches are rated at a maximum 50 percent rating effective January 27, 2010.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his cause of death, finding that fentanyl and alprazolam toxicity were the principal causes of his death. The Board also found that coronary artery disease was not a contributory cause of his death.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date prior to April 8, 2015 for the grant of SMC based on housebound criteria as his request was received within 60 days of the SSOC and he opted into the AMA review system.

The appeal was dismissed due to the appellant's death.

The Board has remanded the claim for dental treatment purposes due to a lack of substantial compliance with its prior remand directives, and because there is no formal or informal finding by VHA that the Veteran meets the basic eligibility requirements for VA outpatient dental treatment.

The appeal for accrued benefits is denied as there is no legal entitlement to such benefits due to the appellant not being a child of the Veteran and not personally bearing the expense of last sickness and burial.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete information regarding the appellant's income and unreimbursed medical expenses since 2010, which could affect her eligibility for death pension.

The Veteran's right leg shin splints are rated at 30 percent since September 21, 2016.,The Veteran's left leg shin splints are also rated at 30 percent since September 21, 2016.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations for service-connected hip conditions due to an administrative error that created a separate appeal stream, and the Veteran did not reactivate his appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left-hand disability, finding that there was no positive diagnosis of left-hand contractures during the appeal period and that the current disability is not etiologically related to his military service.