Other conditions decisions — 2023

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's lay statements regarding his difficulty breathing and to provide an adequate statement of reasons or bases for the ratings assigned. The claims are being remanded for these purposes.

The Veteran's service-connected anemia is being remanded for a current VA examination to determine its severity.

The Veteran's bilateral varices are currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has remanded to determine if a higher rating is warranted.

The Veteran's claim for additional educational assistance benefits under Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill) is denied due to the limitation of 48 months of aggregate period for which any person may receive educational assistance under two or more educational programs.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for clarification on whether the Veteran's oligomenorrhea qualifies as an undiagnosed illness under VA regulations.

The Board denied service connection for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as the Veteran did not have exposure to herbicide agents during his active military service and there is no evidence of a link between his current diagnosis and service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance prior to the Board making a decision.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for pulmonary fibrosis, claimed as interstitial lung disease, due to herbicide agent exposure (Agent Orange) is being remanded due to the need for a more adequate medical opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory disability and left hand numbness have been reopened.,An effective date earlier than January 27, 2017, is denied for the grant of service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's cause of death, pneumonia and hypopharynx cancer, was not caused by or related to his military service. The Board found no evidence linking the fatal diseases to service.

The Veteran's service connection claim for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, linked to herbicide exposure during his time at U-Tapao Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand, is granted. The Board found that the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange and thus meets the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Board has decided that the issue of service connection for a respiratory disability should be remanded to the AOJ for further action. The case will return to the Board after the AOJ addresses the request for substitution by the Veteran's widow.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claims for ganglion cyst removal and bilateral carpel tunnel syndrome.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and failure to address the Veteran's claims of in-service injury and continuity of symptoms.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a blood disorder, variously diagnosed as Acute Myeloid leukemia, B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder, and immune thrombocytopenia. The Board found that exposure to toxic chemicals and smoke during service is at least in equipoise with his current blood disorders.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether there are additional disabilities beyond those addressed under DC 7121 and whether the Veteran's current lymphedema disorder is related to service. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection for perforated ear drums as the Veteran withdrew his appeal, and the issue was not properly initiated in the first place.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of vision impairment, and the Board dismissed the claim as a result.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death, including stroke and pancreatic cancer, was related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp LeJeune during service.

The Board denied the veteran's child's application for survivor's pension due to her income exceeding the maximum annual pension rate for a surviving child.