Other conditions decisions — 2022

The Veteran's unauthorized dental expenses incurred on March 21, 2011 at a non-VA health care facility through the Foreign Medical Program have been reimbursed.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's gastroparesis. The Veteran will need a VA examination to determine if his condition is related to service or if it falls under a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for loss of teeth due to trauma and an acquired psychiatric disorder, but has remanded the TDIU claim. The decision is binding only with respect to the specific matters decided.

The Veteran's appeal is being referred to the AOJ for further consideration as it relates to his service connection claim. The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the issue of whether his discharge under other than honorable conditions is a bar to VA gratuitous benefits.

A 60 percent rating for lung disability is granted as of December 11, 2018. The Veteran's application for TDIU is denied.

The Board has remanded three issues related to the Veteran's elbow conditions due to a lack of updated VA treatment records. The Veteran was not receiving medical treatment from VA and his family physician, so the AOJ must request these records.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of compliance with its August 2021 instructions for a VA examination by a specialist in psychiatry, neurology, or neurosurgery. The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of head injury is now pending and requires further evaluation.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at CHI Health Saint Elizabeth on October 10, 2016 are granted as reimbursement is warranted due to the emergency nature of his heart attack symptoms and the lack of availability of a VA facility.

The Veteran's death from acute myocardial infraction is not related to his military service and therefore, the claim for service connection for cause of death is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete medical records and inadequate opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his skin conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for glioblastoma multiforme and cause of death, finding that there was insufficient evidence to support the claim that his glioblastoma multiforme arose during or as a result of his active service.

The Veteran's appeals for an increased rating for Reiter's syndrome and TDIU are being remanded due to inadequate development in the previous VA examinations. A new examination is required to determine if the Veteran has a current diagnosis of Reiter's syndrome or another type of arthritis related to his initial diagnosis, and whether these conditions are caused by Reiter's syndrome.

The Board has decided that the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral foot condition must be remanded due to insufficient evidence and need for a new medical opinion.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral ocular disability (other than loss of visual acuity in the right eye) as secondary to diabetes mellitus, finding that there is no medical nexus between an in-service incurrence and a current diagnosis of an ocular disability. The Board also found that the Veteran did not manifest a chronic ocular disability within one year of separation from service or continuity of symptomology since separation from service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's esophageal cancer was related to his service, including exposure to Agent Orange. The appellant and a VA physician believe it is likely related.

The Board found that withholding of VA disability compensation for recoupment of separation pay was proper and denied the Veteran's appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal as VA properly withheld disability compensation benefits to recoup separation pay, less the amount of Federal income tax.

The appeal is dismissed because the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal, and there are no provisions for substituting a claimant in this situation.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for residuals of a fracture of the right foot was denied. The Board also denied his TDIU claim, finding that he had met the percentage requirements for the award but that his disabilities prevented him from working.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a condition for which service connection could be granted, and the appellant did not qualify to receive accrued benefits as she is not eligible for DIC or nonservice-connected death pension benefits.