Other conditions decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error and needs additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's pulmonary embolism and his military service, including exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's application for Caregiver benefits is remanded due to incomplete file and a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Board requires an adequate medical determination from the CEAT regarding eligibility.

The Board is remanding the case due to inconsistencies in the Appellant's claims and evidence, particularly regarding her eligibility for VA benefits as a surviving spouse. The case requires further clarification on her relationship with [REDACTED], ownership of housing, and rental costs.

The Veteran's voiding dysfunction as secondary to her service-connected abdominal hysterectomy is granted a separate 40 percent rating. The Veteran's Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD) remains denied for a compensable evaluation. Service connection for discoid lupus or subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus and the rating in excess of 30 percent for her abdominal hysterectomy with residual pain are both remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's loss of use of his bilateral lower extremities is equivalent to amputation preventing natural knee action with prostheses in place, and thus grants special monthly compensation (SMC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(m).

The appeal was dismissed due to the appellant's death, and no final decision can be made.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected traumatic arthritis of the left foot is remanded due to inadequate statement of reasons or bases. A new VA examination is also needed as the last one was conducted over five years ago.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a dental disorder for compensation purposes is denied as there is no evidence of impairment of the mandible, loss of a portion of the ramus, or loss of a portion of the maxilla. The Board finds that service connection is not warranted.

The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity was not rated at a compensable level due to incomplete treatment and postoperative complications. The Board has ordered further development, including obtaining private medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has denied the reopening of the Veteran's claims for service connection for a nervous condition and a head injury, finding that no new and material evidence was submitted to reopen these previously denied claims.

The appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant, and the Board lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the cause of the Veteran's death and its relationship to service-connected conditions. The claim is being returned for further development.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of February 1, 2008 for the grant of service connection for multiple lipomas due to a claim of clear and unmistakable error in a previous rating decision.

The Board found that the reduction of the evaluation from 60 percent to 30 percent for urinary incontinence was not proper due to lack of improvement, and thus denied the reduction.

The Board denied service connection for left and right leg disorders, as well as OSA. The issues of respiratory disorder are remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for spousal and minor child dependency compensation, finding that the appropriate effective date is April 10, 2018.

The Veteran's esophageal condition, including hiatal hernia and Barrett's esophagus, has been rated at 60 percent since November 26, 2013. The rating is based on symptoms such as persistent recurrent epigastric distress with dysphagia, pyrosis, regurgitation, substernal pain, vomiting, weight loss, and melena.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient treatment records and a need for an updated VA examination. The Veteran's throat disability is believed to have started during service, but there are conflicting medical opinions regarding its etiology.

The Veteran's esophageal cancer and respiratory failure, which led to his death in December 2017, were not service-connected. The Board denied both the claim for service connection for esophageal cancer and the cause of death claim.

The Veteran's effective date for adding his spouse as a dependent to his VA disability compensation is denied, as he was not eligible until November 20, 2012.