Other conditions decisions — 2023

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and need for new evidence, including a VA heart examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting evidence regarding the exact nature of the Veteran's claimed disability and a lack of an etiological opinion linking lung nodules to service, including presumed herbicide exposure. The Veteran needs to provide any private treatment records and VA must obtain relevant medical documentation for further evaluation.

The Veteran's dysthymia has been granted a 70 percent disability rating, effective from the date of this decision. Additionally, the Board has granted TDIU based on his service-connected dysthymia.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for a jawbone disability and has also determined that this condition is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claim for an initial 100 percent rating for unspecified trauma or stressor related disorder is granted, effective July 20, 2017.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU from July 20, 2017 is dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for SMC from July 20, 2017 is denied.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his service-connected bilateral early dry stage non-exudative age-related macular degeneration and TDIU prior to August 1, 2020 are being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding the nature and etiology of his bilateral dry eye syndrome and bilateral combined forms of age-related cataract.

The Board has granted service connection for left leg varicose veins, finding that the condition was incurred during service and is not a hereditary disease.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on his spouse requiring aid and attendance is denied because the evidence does not show that her visual impairment meets the criteria for needing regular aid and attendance.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for back pain is reopened, but the issue of whether his spondylolysis preexisted and was aggravated by service during active duty remains unresolved. The case is remanded to allow for a VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inconsistencies in previous letters and unclear overpayment calculations. The Veteran needs a detailed audit of how the overpayment was calculated.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for adjustment disorder with depressed and anxious mood was denied. A rating of 70 percent for this condition, but no higher, is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to an incomplete VA examination. The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a right foot sprain is pending and will be reconsidered after the necessary medical evaluation.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for chest pains as there is no competent evidence showing a current disability and it does not meet the criteria for an undiagnosed illness or MUCMI under VA regulations.

The Veteran's memory loss is found to be a symptom of her service-connected PTSD, and thus not separately service connected.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for a ventral hernia prior to November 2, 2018 and for a rating in excess of 20 percent for a ventral hernia as of November 2, 2018 due to insufficient evidence regarding the current severity of his disability.

The Veteran's appeal for a total evaluation based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities has been dismissed because the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a higher level of special monthly compensation (SMC). The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Veteran's cause of death is deemed to be service-connected due to exposure to an herbicide agent during his service in the Republic of Vietnam. However, he did not meet the criteria for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for bladder cancer is being remanded due to outstanding private treatment records from the Mayo Clinic that need to be obtained.

The Veteran's service-connected Hodgkin's disease was reduced from a 100% rating to a 0% rating effective October 1, 2021. The reduction is upheld as the disability has demonstrated improvement.