Other conditions decisions — 2023

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Mercy Health Anderson Hospital on February 3, 2017, due to lack of prior VA authorization and because the emergency treatment was not deemed necessary.

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

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a hysterectomy due to insufficient evidence regarding its etiology, requiring further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for essential tremors of the right and left upper extremities have been reopened due to new and material evidence. The Board has determined that there is a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.,Both issues are remanded as the Veteran contends his pre-existing essential tremors worsened during military service.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, due to radiation exposure during active service. The VA will obtain relevant records and request a medical examination to determine if there is a relationship between the diagnosed skin cancers and active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing medical reimbursement records. Further attempts are needed to locate or reconstruct these records, including searching physical locations where they might be stored.

The Board has granted service connection for an undiagnosed illness characterized by gastrointestinal distress, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are consistent with an undiagnosed illness and were present during his Southwest Asia deployment.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding in-service onset and environmental toxin exposure for bilateral nerve damage of the feet.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cellulitis of the bilateral lower extremities including the feet, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current condition and active service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for adding his current spouse as a dependent to his VA disability compensation was denied. The Board found that the earliest allowed effective date is June 21, 2018, based on the finalization of his divorce from his previous wife and subsequent marriage to his current wife.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cataracts as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, finding that there was no evidence linking the cataracts to his DM.

The reduction of the disability rating for service-connected right femur status post fracture with limited range of motion of the right hip was proper and denied.

The Veteran's appeal for earlier effective dates for adding his spouse, I., and children A. and L. to his VA disability compensation was denied.,No specific service connection issues were raised in the appeal.

The Veteran's service connection claims for mantle cell lymphoma, herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO), graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), and Ramsey Hunt Syndrome with nerve damage, right side of head, face, and tongue with taste bud damage are all granted. The appeal is remanded for further development regarding the Veteran's claim for service connection for restless leg syndrome.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left leg disability, finding that his symptoms in service were indicative of a current condition and resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.

The Veteran's right foot disability, specifically the residuals of a right great toe fracture, is rated at 10 percent and denied for a higher rating.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of his claims for a higher rating for stroke residuals and TDIU.

The Board denied the appellant's request for a waiver of overpayment due to his failure to file a timely request within 180 days after receiving notification of indebtedness. The appeal is not about service connection.

Your claim for service connection for soft tissue sarcoma, including as due to herbicide exposure, has been granted and you are now receiving a full rating. The appeal is dismissed because the issue has already been resolved in your favor.

The Veteran's request to switch from MGIB to Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits was denied due to the bar on duplication of eligibility based on a single period of service that began after August 1, 2011.