Other conditions decisions — 2023

The Veteran's L5 sacralization is rated at 40 percent prior to January 14, 2021.,A higher rating for the condition from January 14, 2021, is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for right hip and right leg disorders as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding the Veteran's pneumonia. The claim will be reviewed again with a new examination.

The Veteran's increased ratings for severe incomplete paralysis of the 7th, 9th, and 12th cranial nerves are granted. The rating for symptoms associated with impairment of the 11th cranial nerve remains at 20 percent, as does the separate rating for symptoms associated with impairment of the 10th cranial nerve.

The Board has determined that additional research is needed to verify the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange and whether his cancer was on the presumptive list due to such exposure. The case is being remanded for further development.

The appellant is seeking accrued benefits for the expense of his mother-in-law's nursing care at a senior living facility. The Board has decided to remand the case due to unclear documentation and potential discrepancies in income calculations.

The Board has remanded the cases for obtaining VA outpatient treatment records from Loma Linda Healthcare System that have been scanned into the Veteran's VA electronic medical record.

The Veteran's service-connected interstitial cystitis is rated at 40 percent, which is the highest rating available for this condition based on her symptoms of daytime voiding frequency less than one hour and nighttime voiding frequency up to five times per night.

The Veteran's initial rating for right and left lower extremity PVD was denied, with the case being remanded for further examination.,Two issues of service connection for foot disorders were also remanded.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal, leaving no issues for the Board to consider.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for endometriosis is being remanded due to procedural issues. The AOJ will need to issue a Statement of the Case and allow the Veteran to perfect her appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, esophageal cancer, is linked to his military service and grants entitlement to service connection for the cause of death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current malaria residuals are related to his in-service malaria infection, and thus service connection is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's atrial fibrillation is proximately caused by or aggravated by his service-connected obstructive sleep apnea. The case will be sent back for further clarification and consideration of relevant literature.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for myocardial infraction, reopening claims for the cause of the Veteran's death and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to the appellant's death.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate examination in determining the severity of the Veteran's right hand condition. The Veteran will need another VA examination to assess her current disability level.

The Veteran died from a non-service-connected cause and did not meet the criteria for burial benefits due to lack of service-connected disabilities, pending claims, or military retirement pay. The Board denied the claim as there was no evidence of VA compensation at the time of death.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection of right hip degenerative joint disease was granted. The claims for left shoulder and right shoulder degenerative joint diseases are remanded.

The Board has found that the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Thailand is conceded. However, there is no presumptive association between the claimed tremors and herbicide exposure. The Veteran should be afforded a VA examination to determine if his tremors are related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left arm disability, finding that it is etiologically related to his active duty service.