Other conditions decisions — 2021

The Board has added some new records to the case file and requested a waiver for VA Regional Office (RO) review. The claim of TDIU is being remanded for further consideration.

The appeal regarding an earlier effective date for adding the Veteran's dependent school children has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for fatty liver (hepatic steatosis), finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during active duty.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for left lateral epicondylitis and TDIU prior to November 29, 2016 was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating than 10% for his left elbow condition and that he did not meet the criteria for TDIU due to lack of submitted VA Form 21-8940.

The Board has denied DIC benefits for the cause of the Veteran's death due to a lack of evidence showing that VA carelessness, negligence, or fault caused his death. The appeal is remanded for further development regarding service connection and exposure basis.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a left hand strain was dismissed because she withdrew her Legacy appeal and opted into the modernized review system under the Appeals Modernization Act.

The Board has ordered additional development to verify the Veteran's periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA in order to determine if he is entitled to service connection for HIV.

The Veteran's appeal regarding the compensation evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss is dismissed due to his death.

The Board has found that additional development is needed before the Veteran's claim can be decided, as the Board finds that VA did not substantially comply with the March 2019 Board remand. The matter is REMANDED for obtaining any outstanding treatment records from the Veteran Center and a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU rating has been dismissed as the claim was withdrawn by the appellant.

The Veteran seeks reimbursement for travel expenses to and from VA medical facilities for the time period from March 22, 2011 to November 25, 2013. The Board has determined that additional development is needed due to incomplete records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities due to new evidence submitted since the last statement of the case.

The Veteran's hip disabilities, particularly his right and left hip limitations of extension and flexion, are not rated higher than the current assigned ratings. The low back disability is also not rated higher than the current assigned rating.

The appeal for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to April 7, 2014 is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The appeal was dismissed due to the appellant's death, and no jurisdiction remains for further action.

The Board has dismissed the appeals as the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal and thus, the Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for clarification regarding whether the Veteran's bicuspid valve prolapse with heart valve replacement and congestive heart failure was related to service. The examiner is asked to provide an opinion on the nature and etiology of the condition, including whether it is a congenital defect or disease, and if so, whether it first manifested in service.

The appeal was dismissed because the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, and thus the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this case.

The Board has granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma due to Agent Orange exposure, finding that the Veteran's cancer is at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the cause of death and the relationship between service-connected conditions and the Veteran's death. The appellant is seeking service connection for the cause of her husband’s death, which was caused by idiopathic interstitial lung disease.