Other conditions decisions — 2021

The Veteran's representative has withdrawn the claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance, leading to its dismissal.

The Board denied service connection for a sleep disorder, finding that the Veteran's insomnia and fatigue are part of his already service-connected depression and not caused by any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's death was not related to his service, specifically due to the lack of evidence linking his pancreatic cancer to his active duty. The Board found that there is no probative evidence connecting the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents or contaminated water at Camp Lejeune with his cause of death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left foot hallux valgus and nocturia due to insufficient medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claim for an initial compensable rating for right testicle hypogonadism due to incomplete records from medical providers.

The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for additional dependency compensation for his dependent child, J.A.A., but the Board finds no written claim was received prior to July 1, 2017. The earliest effective date is therefore July 1, 2017.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure and cause of death, specifically his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The Board denied service connection for a left long (middle) finger disability due to the lack of evidence showing an in-service injury or disease, and because the Veteran's reports of such injuries were inconsistent with earlier statements made during service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for basosquamous cell carcinoma is remanded due to the need for an addendum medical opinion regarding his current skin disability and its relation to service, including exposure to sun in service and herbicide agent exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence addressing the relationship between the Veteran's head injuries in service and his later dementia, which led to his death. The VA is required to obtain a medical opinion on this issue.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to a withdrawal of the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death is not related to his military service and denied entitlement to service connection for cause of death.

The Veteran's extreme thirst is considered a medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness and service connection for this condition due to an undiagnosed illness during service is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the cause of the Veteran's death (metastatic cancer) was related to his service, specifically his presumed exposure to contaminated soil on the flight line in Imperial Beach, California.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for shrapnel wounds because new evidence did not establish a current diagnosis related to service.

The Board has granted an effective date of April 1, 2013 for the award of DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318, finding that the appellant's request for a lump sum death payment from Social Security Administration (SSA) constitutes a joint claim under 38 C.F.R. § 3.153 for the purpose of establishing the effective date for entitlement to DIC.

The Board has restored the Veteran's Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) as their employment was considered temporary to cover expenses following a family member's death, and they were unable to continue due to mental and physical health issues.

The appeal concerning the cost of non-VA medical services provided on March 13, 2020, has been dismissed as the AOJ administratively approved the claim.

The Veteran's death was not service-connected, and therefore he did not meet the criteria for non-service-connected burial benefits. The claim is denied.

The Board has determined that the treatment by Aegis Sciences Corporation on December 4, 2019 was pre-authorized by VA and granted payment for these expenses.