Other conditions decisions — 2023

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal regarding the delimiting date for educational assistance benefits under Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill) as his last period of service did not meet the requirement of having at least 90 days of continuous active duty after January 1, 2013.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bladder condition is at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has granted increased ratings of 30 percent for neuritis of the bilateral fifth cranial nerve prior to March 22, 2016.

The Board has granted the Appellant's claim for accrued benefits to reimburse expenses related to his mother's last sickness and burial, as these expenses were covered from a joint bank account.

The Board has found the previous VA examinations inadequate and ordered a new in-person examination at the Fresno VA Medical Center. The remand requires an examination to determine if the Veteran's facial rash and fatigue are related to his service, including his service in Southwest Asia.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for abdominal pain is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the previous medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an eye disorder and chest pain due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is dismissed due to a timely supplemental statement of the case (SSOC) opt-in under the Appeals Modernization Act.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for restless leg syndrome, to include as due to herbicide exposure, is remanded. The decision states that there are potentially relevant private treatment records from the 1990s which may contain information about the Veteran's condition and will need to be obtained.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized non-VA medical services provided at Broward General Medical Center from April 4, 2000, to April 8, 2000 is denied as there was no prior authorization and the treatment did not meet the criteria for payment under VA regulations.

The Board has granted service connection for endolymphatic hydrops, finding that it was caused by in-service acoustic trauma and granting the Veteran's claim.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal regarding the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to November 7, 2013. As a result, the appeal is dismissed.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's recurrent gastrointestinal disorder may be related to his service-connected PTSD and other conditions, but more evidence is needed for a definitive determination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, so his claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) is denied.

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

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for his service-connected thoracic and left trapezius strain with myofascial pain is denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating based on the limited range of motion of the thoracolumbar spine.

The Veteran's Parkinson's disease claim was granted, but the appellant is not a child for accrued benefits purposes and thus does not qualify for accrued benefits.

The Board denied service connection for cholesteatoma, otitis externa, and mastoiditis as the evidence did not show a link to military service.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating and an earlier effective date for his service-connected lower back spondylolisthesis are being remanded due to the need for clarification on whether he has ankylosis of the spine, as well as obtaining updated VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the cases for further action due to procedural errors and new evidence. The Veteran's claims of service connection for left elbow condition, right elbow lateral epicondylitis, and an increased rating for his psychiatric disability are now pending.