Other conditions decisions — 2024

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claim of entitlement to service connection for a right hand condition.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant requested to withdraw their appeal.

The Veteran's appeal for additional dependency compensation was dismissed because he did not properly identify the specific decision and issue(s) with which he disagreed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a dental/oral disorder with bruxism, status post teeth removal, mandible dysfunction with nerve pain and paresthesia and gum disease is remanded due to the Veteran failing to report for a VA examination. The Board will obtain an opinion on whether his current condition is related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) due to lack of new and relevant evidence, including a medical opinion that CLL is related to Agent Orange exposure. The Veteran's previous claims were previously denied in October 2023.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of left foot and hammer great toe injury, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether this condition is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the appeal due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, specifically failing to obtain in-service hospitalization records and post-service private treatment records. The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Reiter's syndrome and residuals of meningitis is now pending again.

The Veteran's atrial fibrillation is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board found no evidence of five or more treatment interventions per year as required for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7010. The claim was denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, advanced gastric cancer, is service connected due to exposure to hazardous materials during his military service at Camp Carroll in South Korea.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the cause of death, and will provide one if requested.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as it does not have jurisdiction to review the payment of non-VA medical services provided through the Veterans Community Care Program.

The appeal for payment of $100.00 for medical expenses related to COVID-19 testing by Aegis Sciences Corporation is dismissed as the underlying case has been resolved.

The Board denied the claim for payment or reimbursement of non-VA medical expenses incurred on December 28, 2021 due to a lack of VA authorization.

The Board remands the case for further development, including an attempt to obtain additional service treatment records and a medical opinion regarding the character of discharge.

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral eye disability other than blepharitis and dry eye syndrome, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability due to inadequate opinions from previous examiners. The Veteran's service connection claims for these disabilities are still pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability evaluation due to individual unemployability (TDIU) from April 26, 2012, to May 10, 2012, as the service-connected diabetes mellitus, Type 2, was not rated at least 60 percent disabling during that period.

The Board granted an effective date of August 6, 1998, for the assignment of total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's insomnia prior to May 6, 2019 was rated at 10 percent and denied a higher rating.,For the period from May 6, 2019 through April 30, 2023, the Veteran's insomnia was rated at 30 percent and also denied a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further consideration due to new evidence not being reviewed by the AOJ.

The Board has remanded the cases of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura for further medical opinions to address their nature and etiology, as well as their relationship to service-connected conditions.