Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to unclear etiology of the veteran's ankylosing spondylitis and a need for further medical examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have any additional disabilities of the left lower extremity beyond those already service-connected, and therefore denied his claim for secondary service connection for a left hip and leg disorder.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to determine if the veteran's cancer of the tonsil is related to Agent Orange exposure in service.

The veteran's appeal is about whether he should receive an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral foot disorder, currently rated at 30 percent. The RO has decided to increase the rating from 10% to 30%, but the veteran wants a higher rating.

The Board denied reopening the veteran's claim for service connection of residuals of head trauma due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for malaria and jungle rot, bilateral feet as there was no evidence of current disabilities or in-service injuries that could be linked to these conditions.

The Board denied the appellant's request to reopen his claim of legal entitlement to VA disability benefits, finding that new and material evidence had not been received since the July 1997 decision.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected malaria does not have active disease or any residual disability such as liver or spleen damage, and thus denied a compensable evaluation.

The Board has granted a 10% rating for the service-connected residuals of left index finger injury, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board granted separate 10% evaluations for arthritis of the right and left great toes effective June 5, 2001. The decision found that it was factually ascertainable at least one year prior to June 5, 2002, that an increase in disability had occurred.

The Board granted service connection for the veteran's hiatal hernia disability and assigned a 30 percent rating, finding that it most closely approximated symptoms of persistently recurrent epigastric distress with dysphagia, pyrosis (heartburn), and regurgitation, accompanied by substernal pain, productive of considerable impairment of health.

The Board has granted DIC benefits based on the veteran's status as a former POW and his continuous total disability rating for one year prior to death, which constitutes a complete grant of the benefit sought.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for additional development, including VCAA compliance and a medical opinion regarding whether any disability that caused or contributed to the veteran's death was related to his military service.

The Board found that VA's failure to conduct a breast examination in March 1995 contributed to the diagnosis and treatment of the veteran's right breast cancer, resulting in additional disability. The claim is granted.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and VA examinations.

The Board denied reopening the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to appendicitis and malaria, finding that new evidence submitted since 1959 was not material or relevant.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for left hemiparesis with amyotrophia, finding that his pre-existing condition did not worsen during active military service.

The Board found that there is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's currently diagnosed basal cell carcinoma to service or any incident of service, specifically in-service exposure to Agent Orange. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board denied the application to reopen the claim for service connection for prostatitis, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the veteran's skin conditions are related to his service in Vietnam and exposure to Agent Orange.