Other conditions decisions — 2024

The Board has determined that there was a pre-decisional duty to assist error and the case is being remanded for an adequate medical decision regarding eligibility for PCAFC benefits.

The Board has dismissed the appeal because the issue of whether the contractual payment rate for home health services provided to a Veteran is proper is subject to specific administrative dispute resolution procedures under VA regulations, and the Board does not have authority to review such disputes.

The Board has dismissed the appeal regarding the contractual payment rate for home health services provided by the appellant to a Veteran from March 2, 2020, to March 30, 2020. The dispute is related to a Veterans Care Agreement (VCA) and does not allow for further review.

The Board has already reviewed and denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death in its August 2021 decision, which is now final. The appellant cannot appeal this decision again.

The Veteran's brain lesion (leukoaraiosis) was not incurred in service and is not presumed to have been incurred therein. The Board denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected testicular torsion does not result in loss of use of a creative organ, and therefore SMC based on such criteria is denied.

The Veteran's initial evaluation for service-connected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diagnosed as Crohn's and/or ulcerative colitis prior to October 22, 2020 was dismissed because the issue has already been adjudicated in a previous April 2024 Board decision.

The Board has granted service connection for osteopenia as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected low back disability and acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that the evidence is at least equally balanced in favor of this claim.

The Board has remanded the claims for right and left lower extremity paralysis due to heart surgery, as the October 2021 VA etiology opinion is not sufficient. The Veteran needs new opinions from a medical professional regarding carelessness, negligence, or similar instances of fault during the June 2021 atrial fibrillation ablation.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as there is no administrative review process for disputes over contractual payment rates under Veterans Care Agreements (VCAs). The case will not be reviewed by the Board.

The appeal for payment or reimbursement of medical services provided by the appellant on January 15, 2020 is dismissed as the treatment was authorized through VA and has already been granted.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to errors in the duty to assist, and will provide further examination and opinion regarding the relationship between his current disabilities and his military service.

The Board has dismissed the appeal because the matter is subject to a specific administrative dispute resolution process for Veterans Care Agreements (VCAs) and does not allow for appellate review by the Board.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable disability rating for colon cancer was denied as there are no residuals of the service-connected condition during the period on appeal.

The Board dismissed the appeal as the claim for payment of non-VA medical care provided by Aegis Sciences Corporation on September 15, 2020 has been resolved in favor of the appellant and paid.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the survivor pension benefits were restored effective December 1, 2015, which rendered the original termination decision moot.

The Board found that the termination of the Veteran's disability compensation benefits due to his status as a fugitive felon from December 28, 2020 to September 22, 2021 was correct and denied the appeal.

The Veteran's inguinal hernia is not recurrent or well-supported by a truss or belt, so it does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The appeal is dismissed as the VA has already approved and paid for the medical services provided by the appellant on December 31, 2020.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of salivary gland removal resulting in low saliva production and dry mouth are not rated higher than noncompensable.