Other conditions decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claims for payment or reimbursement of non-VA medical expenses incurred on January 3, 2012, at Watertown Eye Center and on January 5, 2012, at Crouse Hospital are denied as he did not meet the legal requirement to be eligible for such benefits.

The Veteran's claims for stomach and / or gastrointestinal condition, dental implant (partial) residual bridge failure, bilateral hearing loss, and lumbar spine DDD are being remanded due to the need for additional development of evidence.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's bilateral hand swelling and numbness are related to his service, but not due to his diabetes mellitus. The case is being remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's cerebrovascular accident is remanded due to the need for additional development, including an addendum medical opinion regarding the potential relationship between dehydration during her ACDUTRA period and her cerebrovascular accident.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death was related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service, including Agent Orange.

The Board found that the Veteran was engaged in substantially gainful employment for at least 12 months prior to March 1, 2019, and thus denied his request to restore a TDIU.

The Veteran's neurological disorder, manifested by numbness and apraxia of the hands, is considered a medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness (MUCMI) linked to service in Southwest Asia. The Board granted service connection based on this presumption.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further development and an opinion regarding the relationship of the Veteran's gynecological disability, including uterine fibroids or a hysterectomy or an oophorectomy, to her service-connected endometriosis. The PACT Act is also not addressed in this decision.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations are inadequate for adjudication purposes and requires further examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's left elbow disability, including pain on motion testing.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a concussion and nerve impingement of the right upper extremity, finding that there was no credible evidence linking these conditions to active duty service.

The Board denied service connection for leukemia, finding no evidence of in-service exposure to ionizing radiation or other conditions that would warrant presumptive service connection. The Veteran's post-service diagnosis was not shown within a year of discharge and there is no competent medical evidence linking the condition to his military service.

The Board has remanded the cases for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's bilateral upper extremity nerve disabilities are related to his military service, specifically toxic exposure. The examiner must consider all potential exposures and their combined effects.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current right hand disability is related to service. The Veteran needs a VA examination to determine if his current condition began in service or is otherwise etiologically related.

The Board has granted an effective date of December 31, 2008 for the apportionment of the Veteran's VA disability compensation benefits to his then-spouse. The decision was based on a submitted informal claim by the appellant.

The Board has remanded the issue of entitlement to a total rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability due to service connected disabilities (TDIU) for further action.

The appeal is dismissed because the Veteran died in January 2021, and no benefits are currently being paid to him.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development to obtain private medical records and provide adequate reasons and bases regarding his service-connected subdural hematoma.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for waiver of overpayment of VA pension benefits, finding that recovery would not be against equity and good conscience due to fault on both the Veteran's and VA's part. The debt was created when VA failed to account for the Veteran's income from Social Security Administration (SSA) in determining his eligibility for pension benefits.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for the Veteran's right great toe callus, effective from February 6, 2023.

The Veteran's service connection claim for testicular cancer is granted because the evidence shows a relationship between his in-service symptoms and the development of the condition, which was diagnosed shortly after separation from service.