Other conditions Board decisions

The Board found that the veteran's chronic myelogenous leukemia was causally related to Agent Orange exposure during his active service and granted service connection for the cause of death.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an extension of the delimiting date for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code due to her failure to submit a legally meritorious claim and because she married the veteran several years after eligibility for the benefit elapsed.

The Board found that the veteran's autoimmune system dysfunction, including systemic lupus erythematosus and connective tissue disease, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and may not be presumed to be so incurred or aggravated.

The Board has granted service connection for the veteran's myeloproliferative disorder, finding that it is related to his exposure to ionizing radiation during military service. The claim was reopened based on new evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for temporomandibular joint syndrome and awarded a 20 percent initial rating for gout. The issues of entitlement to higher ratings for sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, and individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities are pending.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA eye examination with a nexus opinion.

The veteran is seeking an initial compensable rating for service-connected Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, the medical evidence shows that the disease has been in remission since June 2000 and there are no residuals of the disease to rate.

The Board found that the veteran's skin disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disorder secondary to Agent Orange exposure. The veteran is now entitled to have his claim reviewed on its merits.

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim of service connection for thrombophlebitis, bilateral with pulmonary emboli due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has restored the veteran's duodenal ulcer rating from 10 percent to 20 percent, effective April 1, 2003. The evidence did not warrant a higher rating.

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting facial injuries were not aggravated by service, and thus denied her claim for service connection for the residuals of a failed dental procedure.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) found that the veteran's cause of death, metastatic cancer of an unknown origin, was not related to his military service or exposure to herbicide agents. The BVA concluded that the cancer developed many years after service and was not caused by any disease or injury incurred in active service.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for the cause of death due to an astrocytoma, but finds that there is no evidence showing a relationship between the veteran's military service and his death. The cause of death was pneumonia, which occurred after separation from service.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for trench mouth and dental conditions, finding no new and material evidence. The right testicular injury claim was also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a right foot injury and a skin condition cannot be established as they are not shown to have been incurred or aggravated during his military service.

The Board found no evidence of a service-connected disability for chest pain and denied the veteran's claim for bilateral foot disorder.

The veteran's dysthymia has been rated at 50 percent since September 10, 2003. The RO granted a TDIU effective September 10, 2004. The initial evaluation for residuals of surgery for realignment of the left patella remains at 10 percent.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for postoperative compartment syndrome of the left lower extremity and gout, both rated at 10 percent since April 1, 2000. The evaluations are based on direct service connection.

The appellant is not eligible for an increased apportionment of the veteran's surviving spouse's DIC benefits on behalf of her son, who was a minor until September [redacted], 1990. The VA determined that granting such an increase would create further hardship on the child’s adoptive mother.