Other conditions Board decisions

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cardiovascular disability, left eye glaucoma and hypertensive brain disorder are not related to his military service or any service-connected condition.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected Osgood-Schlatter Disease of the left knee was denied by the RO. The case is being remanded to allow for further development and consideration.

The Board has ordered the case back to the RO for further development, including verification of service and a VA examination. The claim will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability, finding that the current evidence did not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for post traumatic stress disorder and diverticulitis, finding no evidence of an in-service event or exposure that would support a diagnosis of these conditions. The veteran's current gastrointestinal disability is not shown to have had its onset during active military service.

The VA has determined that the veteran's shell fragment wounds to his left calf and right thigh do not warrant an increased rating as they are classified as moderate muscle injuries.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left arm disability, increased evaluation of L5-S1 spondylolisthesis, and compensable evaluations for scar of right knee and hiatal hernia. The veteran currently has a 40 percent rating for his L5-S1 spondylolisthesis.

The veteran does not meet the military service requirements to be eligible for non-service-connected pension benefits.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and readjudication, including assigning separate ratings for each of the polio residuals.

The Board dismissed the appeal as Social Security disability benefits are included by law as countable family income for improved nonservice-connected disability pension purposes.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for gastrointestinal disability, including postoperative residuals of achalasia, and a hernia. The veteran's current conditions are considered to be related to his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's loss of feeling in his left hand and fingers is not due to his service-connected residuals of a fractured left wrist. The criteria for an increased evaluation for residuals of a fractured left wrist were also not met.

The veteran is granted compensation for residual memory and visual deficits resulting from a cerebral vascular accident (CVA) associated with VA treatment in January 1998, as these are the result of events not reasonably foreseeable in furnishing his treatment.

The Board has determined that the RO's decision denying an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for left myofascial pain dysfunction from August 5, 1997 to November 17, 1998 and a rating in excess of 20 percent thereafter is not supported by the evidence.

The Board is unable to determine whether the veteran's cause of death was service-connected due to new and material evidence not having been submitted, but also noting that there is no indication of exposure to herbicides or other presumed conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a left foot injury was denied, as new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the previously denied claim. The RO found that while the veteran's private physicians had found that his left foot disability was likely permanently aggravated by his active service, their opinions were not properly supported by medical rationale.

The veteran's service-connected herniated intervertebral disc is linked to arthritis of the lumbar spine and causes bilateral leg weakness. The claims for a neck disorder, left shoulder disorder, and TDIU are addressed but not decided in this decision.

The RO denied an increased rating for the veteran's third degree burn of the left foot, which is currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's glioblastoma of the brain was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service. The Board also determined that a service-connected disability did not cause or contribute substantially or materially to the veteran's death, thus denying both claims for service connection and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance.