Other conditions decisions — 2021

The Board has dismissed the appeals for TDIU, special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance, and special monthly compensation based on housebound status due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining a VA treatment record and an addendum opinion addressing the etiology of his neck disorder.

The Veteran's right and left elbow conditions are rated at 10 percent prior to May 13, 2011, and from that date. The rating is granted for the right elbow condition but denied for a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the VA examination conducted in October 2020 is not adequate for evaluation purposes due to missing post-bronchodilator DLCO results and a lack of determination regarding whether the Veteran has pulmonary hypertension. The case is therefore being remanded for additional development.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development, specifically regarding a VA medical opinion and private urology records. The Veteran's genitourinary disorders are still under review.

The Board has granted service connection for fatty liver, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise and thus applying the benefit-of-the-doubt rule.

The Veteran's additional disabilities, including anastomotic leak, intrabdominal abscess, and stoma wound dehiscence, were caused by the January 2009 VA surgery and aftercare. The Board grants benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating higher than 10 percent for residuals of right hand laceration with loss of mobility of the long finger is denied as the maximum available rating has already been granted.

The Board has granted service connection for a medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness (MUCMI) including nausea, vomiting, and muscle aches. The Veteran's symptoms have been present since his active military service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for loss of front teeth due to in-service dental trauma as there was no evidence that the loss was due to a loss of substance of the body of the maxilla or mandible, and thus did not meet the criteria for compensation purposes.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for service-connected tardive dyskinesia with involuntary tongue movement and speech impairment was denied by the Board. The evidence did not demonstrate loss of one-half or more of the whole or part of the Veteran’s tongue, nor an inability to communicate by speech.

The Veteran's right hip disability, characterized by limitation of flexion, has been granted a 30 percent rating from February 3, 2020, forward.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity neurological disabilities, finding that there was no causal connection between his service or presumed herbicide agent exposure and his current conditions.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as the waiver of overpayment in full has been granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and need for a medical opinion regarding the appellant's mental state at the time of his misconduct resulting in his discharge.

The Board has granted service connection for numbness and tingling in the right and left legs, as well as degenerative joint disease in both feet. The conditions are deemed to have originated during military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with previous directives, and no specific reasons for the decision are provided.

The appeal was dismissed due to the appellant's passing, as their claims do not survive their deaths.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining private treatment records and identifying Community Care Program providers who have treated the Veteran's low back disorder.

The Veteran's death was caused by complications of acute pneumonia due to or as a consequence of post cerebrovascular accident (CVA) with contributions from HTN and hyperlipidemia. The Board found that the Veteran's HTN, which contributed to his death, is related to his conceded exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam.