Other conditions Board decisions

The veteran's wife was established as a dependent spouse for VA purposes, and the additional dependency allowance was granted effective November 5, 1990.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for veterans' benefits based on character of discharge due to lack of new and material evidence, as the additional evidence presented did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a psychiatric disability related to service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found no evidence to support a relationship between the veteran's HIV-related illness and service, thus denying service connection. The RO granted service connection for syphilis but denied an initial compensable rating.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development due to failure to notify the appellant of VCAA provisions and incomplete information regarding radiation exposure in service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's Inclusion Body Myositis did not have its onset during service or for several years thereafter and is unrelated to service.

The VA denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's skin disorder of the hands and penis, currently rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board found that the condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on its current manifestations.

The veteran's appeal for a waiver of overpayment was dismissed as he withdrew his substantive appeal in April 2005.

The Board has determined that the veteran's duodenal ulcer does not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating, and therefore denied his claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by his service-connected back and hip disorders, leading to a recent fall resulting in rib fractures. As such, the cause of death is now considered service connected.

The VA determined that there was no lack of proper care or skill in the medical treatment provided for Charcot arthropathy of the left foot, including the amputation. The veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 has been denied.

The appellant is not entitled to benefits as a child of a Vietnam veteran born with spina bifida because there is no competent evidence that the appellant has this condition.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no current cardiovascular disability, and the evidence did not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation of any chronic disease. For his degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, the Board noted that there was subjective complaints of pain with mild limitation of motion but no more than moderate limitation of motion, resulting in a 20 percent rating. The radiculopathy claim was denied as well due to lack of objective findings supporting a higher rating. For his postoperative residuals of right knee reconstruction and left knee bursa, the veteran did not meet the criteria for an initial compensable rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to August 3, 2002, as there was no evidence of an earlier claim and the increase in disability was not factually ascertainable before that date.

The Board has determined that the appellant was paid $974.40 for education benefits she did not receive due to her discontinuation of enrollment, and thus the overpayment is valid.

The case is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a Travel Board hearing before a Member of the Board in Chicago. The appellant's son testified at a previous hearing, but no recording was made. The appellant wishes another hearing.

The Board has dismissed the appeal because the appellant died during the pendency of her appeal, and thus the Board no longer has jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the claim.

The veteran's death was not caused by any incident of VA treatment, and the appellant has failed to provide sufficient evidence to show that additional disability resulted from such treatment. The claims for increased evaluations were pending at the time of his death.

The Board finds that the veteran's diagnosed actinic keratosis and basal cell carcinoma are related to sun exposure sustained during service. The claim for urinary bladder cancer is not granted as there is no medical evidence of a nexus between the condition and service, including herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and a need for further investigation into the cause of death.