Other conditions Board decisions

The veteran claims that he suffers from chronic imbalance, which he asserts is related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and/or tinnitus. The case is being remanded for further development of the claim.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for the service-connected urethral stricture, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 20 percent since July 30, 2001 and found no basis to grant a higher rating prior to that date.

The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death, maxillary carcinoma, was not service-connected as it did not occur during or due to his military service.

The VA denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for the veteran's psychophysiological gastrointestinal (GI) reaction with achalasia of the esophagus, maintaining the current 30 percent rating.

The Board finds that there is no medical evidence of a current diagnosis of prostatitis or of a nexus between the claimed disability and service. The veteran's left calcaneal spur is not related to his participation in VA vocational rehabilitation.

The case is being returned to the RO for further development due to incomplete medical records from Social Security Administration evaluations of the veteran's child.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for eye disability, including bilateral cataracts and myopia. The examiner found that his visual complaints can all be traced back to his extreme myopia which is a congenital condition.

The veteran has been granted compensation for additional disability as a result of VA surgical treatment in 1982 and 1983, including severe facial deformity, speech impairment, and use of tracheostomy and nasogastric tubes.

The veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the issues of entitlement to a higher initial rating for hypersplenism with thrombocytopenia and the propriety of reduction from 30 percent to noncompensable level for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The VA denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's service-connected left elbow dislocation with traumatic arthritis, and also denied his claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability on a direct basis or as secondary to his other disabilities.

The Board found that the veteran's receipt of Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits constituted countable income for determining his VA non-service-connected disability pension, leading to a reduction in his benefits. The appeal is denied as the reduction was proper.

The veteran is seeking service connection for perforated bowels, claimed as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Board has ordered additional development including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the veteran's right hip disability is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board denied service connection for basal cell carcinoma, actinic keratosis, and seborrheic keratosis (claimed as skin cancer) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or exposure to herbicides in Vietnam.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional procedural and evidentiary development, including providing adequate notice under the VCAA and obtaining a medical opinion regarding his claims.

The veteran is seeking compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for tingling and numbness of the chest and arms, which he claims are a result of May 1996 surgery at the Albuquerque VA Medical Center. The claim will be remanded to determine if the symptoms qualify as a qualifying additional disability under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board found that the veteran's colon cancer is not related to his service, including exposure to herbicides in Vietnam. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for traumatic myofascitis of the lower dorsal and lumber spine, as there is no evidence of ankylosis or associated intervertebral disc syndrome. The current evaluation of 40 percent reflects severe limitation of motion.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine if the appellant's current respiratory condition was caused by the June 1995 right upper lobectomy and whether the proximate cause of the disability was carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of VA.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disorder of the groin and axillae, as well as residuals of right ear infection. The evidence did not show that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.