Other conditions decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the case for a new examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's hearing loss disability due to evidence suggesting an increase in its severity since his last VA examination.

The Board has remanded the issue of whether the Appellant can be recognized as the surviving spouse of the Veteran for VA purposes due to procedural issues.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for a colonoscopy on March 19, 2015 are denied because there was no prior authorization from VA and the condition was not an emergency requiring immediate treatment at a non-VA facility. VA facilities were feasibly available to treat his condition.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral eye disabilities, including macular degeneration and cataracts. The decision also remanded the issue of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for exostosis of the right fifth toe and TDIU was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of severe foot injury warranting a higher than 20 percent disability rating, and there were no additional factors to consider in awarding TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has granted service connection for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), finding that the condition existed prior to service and did not worsen during service. The Veteran's current symptoms are attributed to his pre-existing condition.

The Board has dismissed the claim of entitlement to service connection for bruxism as moot because a prior rating decision already granted this benefit.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability manifested by chest pain, finding that there was no evidence of such condition during active service or related to any in-service injury or disease.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral foot disorders, including pes planus. The Board found that the pre-existing bilateral pes planus did not become aggravated beyond its natural progression during military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to exposure to asbestos or herbicide agents, as well as secondary service connection for elbow disorders and hearing loss. The remand is necessary to verify whether the Veteran served within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of Vietnam while aboard the USS Hancock.

The Veteran's appeals for compensable evaluations for a left ingrown toenail with paronychia and status post chip fracture left fifth finger have been dismissed. The claims of service connection for stomach and sinus disabilities have been reopened, but the issues remain pending.

The Veteran requested to withdraw their appeal regarding the withholding of disability compensation benefits based on military retired pay and creation of an overpayment. The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Board denied service connection for gastrointestinal disorders, including colitis and Crohn's disease, as they are not shown to have begun during active service or be related to an in-service injury or disease, including presumed exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right hip strain, finding that there is no medical evidence establishing a link between his current condition and his active service or any service-connected disability.

The Board has found that a remand is necessary due to the submission of additional medical records since the May 2017 SOC. The SSOC will consider these new evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding service connection for a lung disability, other than lung cancer. The Veteran's lung disabilities include centrilobular emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis.

The Board denied entitlement to VA death pension benefits due to the Appellant not being a proper claimant for accrued benefits and no benefits were owed.

The Veteran's interstitial lung disease and pulmonary fibrosis are found to be related to his service, specifically his exposure to asbestos while stationed aboard U.S.S. Forrest Sherman.

The Board has granted the appellant's claim as his father's 'helpless child' due to permanent incapacity for self-support prior to attaining age 18, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the appellant.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of any current right hip disorders, including any residuals of the in-service stress fractures. The case is being remanded for further action.