Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of mononucleosis and a sinus condition due to outstanding in-service medical records and additional evidence.

The Board found that the appellant did not timely file a notice of disagreement regarding the denial of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, and thus dismissed the appeal.

The claimant is not entitled to an apportioned share of the veteran's benefits. The case has been remanded for further action due to procedural issues.

The Board denied the reopening of a previously denied claim for service connection for macular degeneration, finding that no new and material evidence had been presented.

The Board denied service connection for a lung disorder, finding that the veteran's current respiratory symptoms are more likely due to diagnosed conditions or environmental exposures rather than an undiagnosed illness resulting from his Gulf War service.

The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected compression fracture residuals at T10-T12, currently rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for the shell fragment wound of muscle group V, a 10 percent rating for the shell fragment wound of muscle group VII, and a 10 percent rating for neuritis of the right median nerve. The deep, adherent keloidal scar is rated as 20 percent disabling.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151, finding that his urinary incontinence was a reasonably foreseeable result of his prostate surgery performed at a VA Medical Center in September 1999 and not due to carelessness or negligence on the part of VA.

The veteran's PTSD has been manifested primarily by symptoms such as sleep problems, irritability, hypervigilance and startle response that is productive of some social and occupational impairment. He has Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores ranging from 55 to 75. The veteran has maintained a good relationship with his wife, family and friends and is retired. Therefore, the criteria for a 30 percent evaluation for PTSD have been met.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluation and reopening of service connection for back injury, bilateral shin splints, and residuals of a laceration of the right forearm with injury to the cutaneous nerve are remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected subtotal gastrectomy/peptic ulcer disease contributed to his death, and thus grants service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than November 26, 1996, for a 100 percent rating for service-connected gastrointestinal disability.

The veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was denied because there is no evidence of a laser procedure performed on his left eye that caused his blindness, and the medical records do not support this allegation.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as there was no credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressor occurred.

The case is being remanded for the appellant to request a Board hearing at either the RO or via videoconference, and then for the RO to schedule the appropriate hearing before returning the case to the Board.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the veteran currently has Osgood-Schlatter's disease of his right knee, which would be required for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and found that accrued benefits claim is without legal merit.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus with bunionectomy is at least as likely as not the proximal cause of arthritis in his knees, ankles, and/or feet.

The VA denied service connection for a colloid cyst of the third ventricle of the brain, claimed as secondary to bilateral otitis externa. The VA also denied service connection for reactions to penicillin and Keflin. Finally, the VA denied a compensable rating for bilateral otitis externa.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected left foot disability warrants a 20 percent evaluation, resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.