Other conditions decisions — 2021

The Veteran's service-connected post-concussion cephalalgia disability, along with other conditions, has rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since April 23, 2012. The Board granted his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as of that date.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for dental trauma and a cardiac infection secondary to dental trauma has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection for either condition.,The Veteran was not granted any new ratings or effective dates in this decision.

The Veteran's heart disability, including atrial fibrillation with a cardiac pacemaker and aortic and mitral valve insufficiency, is rated at 100 percent. The Veteran is also granted total unemployability due to their service-connected heart disability.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new medical opinion regarding his claim of additional disability resulting from VA treatment, specifically during his September 2011 radical perineal prostatectomy.

The Veteran's throat cancer is granted service connection as due to herbicide exposure during his Vietnam-era service.

The Board has granted the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his death was due to metastasized cancer from primary bladder cancer. The presumptive exposure to Agent Orange is acknowledged as a contributing factor.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and a need for an addendum opinion on the issue of insanity.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected right foot metatarsalgia, status post fracture, right fifth metatarsal base is denied. The issue of entitlement to TDIU has been raised and included as a separate issue.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim, finding that his income for 2007 exceeded the VA National Means Test threshold but was below the geographic means test. Therefore, he is eligible for treatment without a copay in the VA healthcare system.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hip condition is remanded due to the need for further examination and medical opinion regarding the nature, etiology, and relationship of her diagnosed conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's attributable household income for 2016 exceeded the VA National Means Test threshold by approximately $2,500. As a result, treatment in the VA healthcare system without a copayment requirement for income year 2016 is now granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the Veteran's claim for compensation benefits for right lower extremity disability. The case must be returned to the AOJ for a supplemental opinion from a VA physician.

The Board denied service connection for polymyositis and patent foramen ovale (PFO) as the evidence did not show a causal relationship to active service.

The Veteran's appeals for postoperative residuals osteoblastic lesion right femoral neck, pinguecula, bilateral eye condition, and total disability based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) prior to June 7, 2017 have been dismissed. The appeal for sinus bradycardia has been remanded.

The Veteran's right hip disability is rated at 70 percent, effective June 4, 2012. The Board also granted service connection for her urethral stricture on the basis that it was aggravated by a preexisting condition during service.

The Board has granted service connection for a right ring finger disability and remanded the issue of total disability for individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has denied service connection for loss of taste, loss of smell, and right testicle disability due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The case is remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's soft-tissue sarcoma, which caused his death, was related to service or any incident therein, including herbicide exposure. The claim will be readjudicated after obtaining this information.

The Veteran's shin splints of the left and right knees are rated as non-compensable under the revised regulatory criteria effective February 7, 2021.,Separate non-compensable ratings for shin splints of both knees have been granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left calf tumor, finding that there was insufficient evidence to establish a direct relationship between his current condition and his military service. The Board also found no evidence of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.