Other conditions decisions — 2024

The Board has dismissed the appeal as it is governed by statutory and contractual authority that creates a dispute process with no review by the Board, specifically related to payment for non-VA dental services provided under a Veterans Care Agreement (VCA).

The Board found that the Veteran did not reasonably discharge his responsibility for supporting dependent children A.L.S. and R.N.S., and awarded an apportionment of $700 per month to their mother, R.S., on behalf of the children. The Veteran's appeal to terminate this apportionment was denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral lower extremity edema is caused by his service-connected hypertension, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected due to the lack of evidence linking his conditions to military service, including exposure to herbicides. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a compensable disability at the time of discharge and that his conditions were not otherwise related to service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a stroke has been dismissed due to their passing away during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, requiring an addendum medical opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed insomnia.

The Veteran's appeal for a disability rating in excess of 100 percent for ALS with loss of use of bilateral lower extremities was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for payment of non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical expenses incurred on January 23, 2021 due to a lack of VA authorization for such services.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of radiating pain in left leg due to a duty to assist error. The case is being sent back for further examination and medical opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for urinary tract infection, anonychia of the nails, and dermatophytosis involving the nails have been denied. The claim for chronic abdominal pain is being remanded.,There is no record of any nail anomaly during the timeframe under review in this appeal.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding earlier effective dates for Dependents' Educational Assistance and TDIU.

The Board granted the appellant's request to have his beginning date for Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits as September 9, 2019. The decision is based on a mailing error by VA that led to the incorrect address of the November 2020 Certificate of Eligibility.

The Board dismissed the appeal as the claim for payment of non-VA medical expenses incurred on July 14, 2020, has been fully granted and paid by VA.

The Veteran's entitlement to a disability rating of 20 percent for restless leg syndrome, both right and left legs, is granted effective July 9, 2021.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for payment of medical services provided by Urology Group PA from December 7, 2019, to January 4, 2020, as the process for billing under the Veterans Community Care Program does not allow for review by the Board.

The appeal was dismissed due to an administrative error where the same appeal was docketed under two different numbers.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities as secondary to his service-connected disabilities due to an error in satisfying a regulatory or statutory duty. The claim will be adjudicated after addressing the issue of service connection for a back condition.

The Veteran's TDIU and DEA benefits are granted effective January 1, 2015.,Prior to this date, the Veteran did not meet the criteria for these benefits.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for bilateral Purtscher's retinopathy and TDIU prior to July 2, 2021 are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The VA must obtain relevant medical records from the Veteran's treatment history.

The appeal was dismissed as the AOJ administratively reversed the denial and approved payment for non-VA medical services provided to the Veteran on November 16, 2020.