Other conditions decisions — 2023

The appeal for payment of ambulance transport costs is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his tongue cancer was related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam and caused or substantially contributed to his death.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his right knee injury has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred during a non-VA hospitalization at UC Davis from November 18, to November 19, 2017 due to an emergency pilonidal cyst removal. The decision is based on the emergent nature of the condition and the need for fetal monitoring.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's hysterectomy is related to her service-connected salpingitis.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's gallbladder disability, specifically her use of birth control pills during service.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death, and no jurisdiction remains for the Board to consider the merits of the case.

The Veteran's appeal regarding the timeliness of his Notice of Disagreement (NOD) was accepted as timely and valid. The Board found that VBA failed to properly notify the Veteran's representative, leading to a delay in responding to the NOD.

The appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of a survivor's pension with aid and attendance is dismissed because the appellant died before a decision could be made.

The Veteran's appeal for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability prior to May 22, 2020 has been dismissed because the Veteran died during the pendency of his appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's muscle and joint pain, as well as fatigue, are not related to his service. The case is being remanded for further examination and analysis.

The Board is unable to determine the basis of the RO's calculations in December 2016 and requires a thorough accounting of the widow's countable income for 2013, 2014, and 2015, including medical expense deductions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bruxism and TDIU due to inadequate development in previous examinations. The Veteran's claim for service connection is being reviewed, and a new examination is required to determine if his bruxism had its onset during or is otherwise etiologically linked to his active-duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sickle cell anemia, finding that the evidence clearly and unmistakably demonstrated that the condition preexisted service and was not aggravated by military service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's left breast condition, exposure to burn pits during service, and need for aid and attendance.

The Board has granted the appellant's claim to reopen service connection for cause of death, finding that the Veteran's gastric carcinoma (stomach cancer) is a result of his in-service exposure to Agent Orange. As this condition is considered a service-connected disability, it was determined as the immediate cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board denied service connection for a skin disorder, including cysts and lipomata, as the evidence did not show that it was caused by or worsened by the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus (DM) or in-service herbicide exposure.

The appeal for service connection for a left elbow disability as secondary to the service-connected left hand arthritis has been withdrawn and is dismissed. The appeals for service connection for a left thumb disability, a left forearm disability, and an initial rating higher than 10 percent for the service-connected left hand arthritis are remanded.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's breathing problems/lung complaints may be related to service, but more development is needed to determine this definitively.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a cardiological disorder and gastrointestinal disorder due to incomplete or inconclusive medical evidence. The case will be returned to the AOJ for additional development, including obtaining new opinions from VA examiners regarding the relationship between PTSD and the Veteran's heart and gastrointestinal conditions.