Other conditions decisions — 2024

The Veteran's period of service from November 21, 2016 to August 17, 2020 was used to establish entitlement to educational assistance benefits under Chapter 30. The same period cannot be used for Chapter 33 education benefits due to the bar on duplication of eligibility based on a single event or period of service.

The Board denied the appeals for payment of non-VA medical expenses incurred on January 18, 2021, January 28, 2021, February 1, 2021, and February 4, 2021 due to a lack of VA authorization.

The Board has determined that the Appellant's claim file is incomplete and requires additional information to make an eligibility determination for VA loan guaranty benefits. The case must be remanded to ensure all relevant records are obtained.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's notalgia paresthetica, right upper extremity is related to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The appeal is dismissed because the dental services provided by the appellant were pursuant to a Veterans Care Agreement (VCA) which has its own administrative dispute resolution process that does not allow for appellate review.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an apportionment of her estranged spouse's VA benefits, finding that he reasonably provided support from August 2020 until their divorce in late September 2020.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right lung nodules, left lung nodules, pleural thickening, and pulmonary fibrosis due to pre-decisional failures of duty to assist in obtaining missing service treatment records and inadequate examinations. The VA is required to undertake additional efforts to obtain these records and prepare a TERA memorandum addressing the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents (Agent Orange) and asbestos in service.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of Total Disability Rating Based Upon Individual Unemployability (TDIU) based on a lack of pending claims and evidence of worsening in the year prior to September 17, 2019.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's insomnia and his service. The claim will be reconsidered with a new examination.

The Veteran's frontal lobe dementia is due to his service-connected other specified bipolar and related disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder. The Veteran's cerebrovascular accident is not secondary to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as it is not within its jurisdiction to review payment for non-VA medical services provided by Mountain Oral Facial Surgery.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a pre-decisional error in the eligibility determination for PCAFC benefits. The decision will be reconsidered based on the correct statutory criteria.

The Board has granted service connection for supraventricular tachycardia, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began during her military service and are related to her active duty.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of adequate VA examination, and thus requires an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Veteran and caregiver applicant were conditionally approved for benefits on November 5, 2020, pending completion of the caregiver training and home-care assessment. The application was formally approved on January 15, 2021, with both trainings and assessments completed by November 25, 2020. Benefits under the PCAFC are granted as the necessary determinations, trainings, and assessments had been completed prior to the Veteran's death.

The Board has granted service connection for lower back pain as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right foot pes plenus.

The Veteran's application for PCAFC benefits was denied due to the VA Centralized Eligibility and Appeals Team (CEAT) finding that he did not meet eligibility requirements. The decision is being remanded as there were errors in notification and an inadequate medical opinion.

The appeal is dismissed because the administrative action approving payment for the December 23, 2019 medical services has resolved the issue in full.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's effective date for adding his dependent child, M.S., to his VA award is denied as it was the earliest possible date due to the failure to provide necessary information within a year of notification.