Other conditions decisions — 2024

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left foot hammer toes, finding that there is no evidence linking his condition to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left arm condition and an initial compensable rating for heart block.,There is no current diagnosis of a left arm condition, and the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran has a current disability related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the addition of his spouse as a dependent on his VA disability compensation award is denied. The Board found that there was insufficient evidence to rebut the presumption of regularity regarding VA's mailing practices and that the Veteran did not meet the threshold rating criteria before receiving additional benefits based on dependency.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the addition of his spouse as a dependent on his VA disability compensation was denied. The Board found that there is no clear evidence to rebut the presumption of regularity regarding VA's mailing practices, and thus the effective date remains at April 23, 2019.

The appellant withdrew her appeal for the issues of special adapted housing and a special home adaptation grant, thus the Board dismissed the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the addition of his spouse as a dependent on his VA disability compensation was denied. The Board found that there is no clear evidence to rebut the presumption of regularity regarding VA's mailing practices, and thus the effective date remains at April 23, 2019.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of a VA examination for the Veteran's gastrointestinal disability, which may be associated with service. The Veteran is requested to undergo a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his gastrointestinal disability.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal, so the case is dismissed.

The appeal regarding the reduction of a rating for prostate cancer is dismissed due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's service connection claim for basal cell carcinoma is denied as the condition was not incurred or aggravated by his military service, and there is no evidence of a relationship between his current diagnosis and his time in service.

The Veteran's cause of death, bladder cancer, is now service connected due to exposure at Camp Lejeune. Service connection for the cause of death is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of a VA opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's Acute Myeloid Leukemia, which may be related to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board dismissed the appeal because it does not have jurisdiction to review the claim for payment of expenses for medical services provided on specific dates, as decisions under the VCCP are subject to VA's clinical appeals process.

The Veteran's service connection claim for other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, adjustment like disorder is granted as it is determined to be related to his active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a disability rating higher than 10 percent for hiatal hernia, finding that his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's cause of death, suicide by asphyxia, is not attributable to a disability incurred in or aggravated by service, or proximately due to and/or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and face, is related to his military service due to exposure to Agent Orange. As such, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.

The Veteran's claim for recognition of J. E. G., his biological child, as a dependent child for VA disability compensation purposes was denied because the evidence did not show that J. E. G. met all regulatory criteria, including being under age 18 and pursuing a course of instruction at an approved educational institution.

The Veteran's appeal for attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in the June 5, 2017 rating decision is dismissed as moot due to a subsequent fee decision finding the Appellant eligible for the payment of attorney fees.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions provided were inadequate, particularly regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions addressing whether the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service or if they would be less severe without his service-connected conditions.