Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has granted an initial 10 percent rating for the veteran's service-connected recurrent paronychia of the left great toe, status post surgical removal of the left great toenail. The condition is manifested by tenderness to palpation and impaired sensation.

The Board found no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's current foot disorder to his military service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete VCAA notifications and further development is required.

The veteran's service-connected residuals of a left heel injury and impaired sensation are currently rated at 10 percent each, with no higher ratings being granted. The evidence does not support an increase in these ratings.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death and denied the claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) Benefits due to a lack of evidence linking the service-connected disabilities to the cause of death.

The Board found new and material evidence to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for chronic otitis media with tympanic membrane perforation in the left ear. The VA examiner concluded that this condition was incurred during active service.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for residuals of a right arm laceration injury and granted it, finding that new evidence supports the claim. The veteran's current right forearm pain is likely related to his reported in-service injury.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected residuals of a right foot 3rd metatarsal fracture was denied, as the evidence did not show that he had been disabled to a degree warranting a 10 percent rating within one year prior to September 28, 2000.

The Board found that the cause of death, double lobar pneumonia, was not related to service and denied claims for service connection for cause of death, accrued benefits, and nonservice-connected pension benefits.

The veteran's HIV-related illness is rated based on recurrent constitutional symptoms and T4 cell count. Prior to April 23, 2004, a rating of 10 percent was granted. Since then, the condition has been rated at 30 percent.

The veteran's application for retroactive payment of costs incurred for tests taken on January 24, 2002, and February 22, 2002, was denied as the application was received more than one year after those costs were incurred.

The Board has ordered the VA to seek inpatient treatment records from a specific date range and to obtain authorization for Dr. Ashford's records. The case is then remanded for further development, including consideration of all evidence received since the October 2002 petition to reopen.

The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the July 1957 rating decision that reduced the veteran's disability evaluation for chronic traumatic synovitis of the right elbow joint from 10% to noncompensable.

The veteran died due to sepsis, respiratory failure, and bronchopneumonia. The Board found that these conditions were not service-connected or related to VA treatment.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed disorders of the vocal cords and lung disorders are not related to his period of service or a service-connected disability, leading to a denial of these claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's overpayment of $2,284.00 was validly created and he is entitled to a waiver due to undue hardship caused by his inability to afford basic necessities.

The Board has remanded the case for further action, including scheduling a Travel Board hearing at the RO in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The veteran's claim for eligibility for automobile and adaptive equipment or adaptive equipment only is being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records from his VA treatment facility. The case will be reviewed again after these records are obtained.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death and eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C.A. Chapter 35.