Other conditions decisions — 2024

The Board has determined that the Appellant is entitled to recognition as the surviving spouse of the Veteran for purposes of Dependents Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits due to their valid common law marriage, despite New Jersey not recognizing such marriages.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation of her service-connected heart condition was denied, and she is not entitled to a higher rating. The claim for service connection for tinnitus was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for additional dependency compensation for his child H.B. is denied as the March 2015 decision became final and no new or material evidence was submitted within a year of notification.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a deviated septum has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his claim.

The Board denied service connection for varicose veins as there was no evidence linking the condition to a period of active-duty service, and the Veteran did not provide competent medical evidence to support his claim.

The Veteran's death was not connected to his active service, and therefore the appellant is denied plot or interment allowance and burial transportation expenses as they are not payable when a service-connected burial allowance is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left eye peripheral pterygium and right eye pinguecula, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his active service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of July 30, 2019, for the grant of service connection for unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder is granted. The effective date was determined to be June 20, 2020, based on continuous pursuit of the claim since July 30, 2019.

The appeal of the denial of apportionment of the Veteran's VA benefits to the Appellant is dismissed because the AOJ granted an apportionment that was sought in the Appellant's Notice of Disagreement.

The appeal seeking revision of the November 25, 1997 rating decision that denied an initial compensable rating for first degree AV block with LV hypertrophy on EKG is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete findings and a need for additional opinions, particularly regarding service connection for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

The Veteran's service did not meet the requirements for eligibility to nonservice-connected pension benefits due to lack of active wartime service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for migraine headaches and rectal sphincter spasm, as well as her claims for service connection for vaginitis with vulvodynia/dyspareunia and female sexual arousal disorder, are granted effective September 28, 2013.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities became effective on September 1, 2017. His first compensation payment was made on October 1, 2017.

The Veteran's CLL was rated as asymptomatic and Rai Stage 0, which does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 7703.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current right forearm or left forearm disability at any time during the pendency of the claim. The Veteran's claims for service connection are therefore denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in creating and calculating the overpayment of pension benefits. The Appellant challenges both the validity of the debt creation and whether VA acted solely as an administrative error.

The appeal is dismissed because the non-VA medical services provided to the Veteran on June 11, 2020 have already been paid by VHA.

The Board dismissed the appeal because it does not have jurisdiction to review the claim for payment of non-VA medical services provided by Pulmonary Medicine Associates.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's metastatic adenocarcinoma is related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents, including Agent Orange. As a result, service connection for this condition is granted.