Other conditions decisions — 2021

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional development regarding service connection for cholesteatoma, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of ambulance transportation on March 17, 2020 is being remanded due to the need to properly develop and consider the claim under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. § 1725.

The Board denied the claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits because the granddaughter, who was not legally adopted by the Veteran, does not qualify as a dependent child under VA regulations.

The Veteran did not have any service-connected disabilities at the time of his death. The Appellant's income exceeds the maximum annual pension rate for death pension purposes, and there is no evidence of qualifying medical expenses to reduce her income below the applicable rates.

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for acquired pes cavus (clawfoot) and hammertoes is dismissed due to the death of the Veteran during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in assessing whether the Veteran's esophageal conditions are secondary to his service-connected disabilities, including his psychiatric disorder, low back disability, and leukopenia.

The Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 70 percent for left distal forearm amputation and a separate rating for left arm phantom pains were denied. The Board found that the maximum available combined schedular rating for disabilities below the insertion of the deltoid is 70 percent, which precludes any additional ratings.

The Board has determined that the character of the Veteran's discharge from service no longer constitutes a bar to VA gratuitous benefits, thus granting the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a condition causing cyclical vomiting is remanded. The case requires further medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his pancreas divisum, as well as whether it was aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinion regarding secondary service connection for thrombocythemia to PTSD. The examiner did not address the medical literature cited by the Veteran's representative and did not reconcile his conclusion with this contradictory evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence of the current severity of the Veteran's right-hand neurological condition, and ordered a VA examination for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his service-connected adjustment disorder and depressed mood is being remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations and potential retrieval of SSA records.

The Board denied service connection for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) as due to radiation exposure, finding no evidence of ionizing radiation exposure and concluding that the current diagnosis is not related to active duty service.

The Veteran's abdominal aortic aneurysm is found to be causally related to his active service, including various chemical exposures. Service connection for the condition has been granted.

The Veteran's appeal for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) was dismissed due to his failure to submit an updated VA Form 21-8940, which is necessary for proper adjudication of the claim. More than one year has passed since the initial request.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for non-Hodgkins lymphoma and Hodgkins lymphoma are both denied. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical records and provide a supplemental opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's Hodgkin's disease.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's stomach disability is related to his service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ulcerative colitis was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The Board found that the condition began in service and is more likely than not continued today, granting the claim.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the criteria for DIC benefits under all theories of entitlement have not been met.

The appeal is dismissed due to the appellant's death, and no service connection issue remains for decision.