Other conditions decisions — 2021

The Veteran's stepchild, N.S., is not considered a dependent for the purpose of additional dependency compensation because she does not meet the household requirement and has not been adopted by the Veteran.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for esophageal cancer and his cause of death due to septic shock and metastatic esophageal cancer, finding that there was no evidence linking the condition to service or exposure to herbicides. The Board also found that the Veteran did not have a pending claim at the time of his death.

The Veteran's pancreatitis is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is related to his service, including the fungus infection shown in STRs and exposure to herbicide agents while serving in Vietnam.

The Board dismissed the appeal for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's skin disability. The claim will be reviewed again with a new medical opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for a waiver of overpayment due to her incarceration, finding that she was at fault in creating the debt and that repayment would not result in financial hardship.

The Board has decided to remand four service connection claims for further medical development due to uncertainty about whether the Veteran has a current diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a disability of the left upper extremity and arthritis of the left upper extremity, finding that there was no evidence to support these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a hand disorder, including Dupuytren's contracture, myeloproliferative disease of the palmar fascia, and arthritis, to include secondary to diabetes, was dismissed as he withdrew his appeal.

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives, particularly regarding the etiology of heel spurs and gout.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient information regarding the onset of dysthymic disorder during service. The Veteran's condition is related to his period of active service, including reports of isolation and anger/frustration.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inaccurate medical history in a previous opinion, and needs further development to determine if the Veteran's post-service compression fractures are related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure and the relationship between his death and service. The appellant must provide additional medical opinions on these matters.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep impairment, finding that his existing service-connected generalized anxiety disorder with major depressive disorder already covered his symptoms of chronic sleep impairment.

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

The Board's decision is vacated in part due to the Veteran not receiving a copy of the statement of the case, which prevented him from appealing. The effective date for the disability rating in excess of 70 percent for dysthymic disorder will be granted prior to August 2014.

The Board has granted service connection for metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (MSCC) due to exposure to environmental hazards, specifically burn pits, during active duty in Iraq. The decision resolves doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board granted a 20 percent extraschedular rating for the Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder, effective from when the increased evaluation was first assigned (November 2020), and denied an increase in the disability evaluation to more than 30 percent.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits from January 15, 2012 to March 4, 2013. The decision also denied the claim for nonservice-connected pension prior to January 15, 2012.,For the period prior to January 15, 2012, the Veteran's disabilities did not render him unemployable and thus he was not permanently and totally disabled.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a spinal injury is being remanded due to the need to obtain private medical records and provide an opinion on whether his condition is related to service.