Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a chronic gastrointestinal disorder related to his military service and that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen his claim for residuals of a back injury.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current head, neck, and back disabilities to his military service.

The veteran is seeking an increased evaluation for his service-connected de Quervain's syndrome of the left upper extremity. The RO has denied this claim, and a new examination is required to assess the current severity of the condition.

The Board found new and material evidence to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection, but denied the petition due to insufficient evidence showing aggravation of a pre-existing condition during service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for an infection of the feet and a skin rash, finding no persuasive medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board granted an initial increased disability rating of 30 percent for the veteran's service-connected skin rash disability, finding that it covered more than 20 percent of his exposed areas and required systemic therapy such as corticosteroids or other immunosuppressant drugs during the past year.

The VA determined that the veteran's residuals from a gunshot wound to his right forearm do not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The Board found that the cause of death, disseminated carcinomatosis due to adenocarcinoma of the lung, was not related to service or Agent Orange exposure. The veteran's service-connected conditions did not contribute substantially to his death.

The Board has determined that the appellant's bilateral varicose veins disability warrants a 10 percent evaluation for each leg, resulting in a combined rating of 20 percent. The current manifestations do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for a compensable disability evaluation for dermatophytosis of the hands, finding that his condition did not meet the criteria for such an evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining SSA disability benefits records and medical records used in making that determination.

The Board dismissed the appeal because no timely appeal was submitted in response to the December 1999 denial of DIC benefits.

The Board found that the appellant's service with the Bureau of Constabulary (BC) did not meet the criteria for forfeiture of VA benefits due to his actions during service, which included providing assistance to guerrilla forces. The evidence was in equipoise on whether his duties were significant enough to constitute treason.

The Board denied the appellant's request to reopen his claim seeking veteran status and basic eligibility for VA benefits, finding that no new and material evidence had been received.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, as well as his thoracic strain and headaches, were granted. He was also granted service connection for hypertension but denied service connection for chronic cervical strain.

The Board finds that the veteran's service-connected frostbite did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from a cerebrovascular accident. The VA medical records show he had severe peripheral vascular disease (PVD), which was attributed by an expert to chronic effects of frostbite during active service.

The veteran's claim for a higher evaluation of his colitis is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including consideration of recent Navy service medical records and VA outpatient treatment records.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no evidence of left inguinal hernia recurrence or thrombophlebitis. The right leg numbness claim was also denied as it did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The veteran's appeal to establish timeliness of a notice of disagreement (NOD) with the April 1998 rating decision assigning an effective date of January 16, 1997 for his service-connected disabilities was denied as he did not file a timely NOD within one year of receiving notification of the decision.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of cold injury to the hands and feet, finding that the veteran incurred such injuries in service. The claim for reopening the osteoarthropathy of the fingers and toes was denied as new and material evidence had not been submitted.