Other conditions Board decisions

The appellant's claim for basic eligibility for VA nonservice-connected pension benefits based on his second period of service is denied due to incomplete application, as he refused to cooperate with VA.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for heat stroke residuals. The issue will be addressed in a separate decision.

The Board has granted a 100 percent rating for postoperative residuals of a bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board found that the veteran's gout and arthritis were not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service.

The Board has determined that the September 1994 rating decision denying service connection for right and left hip replacements was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous, and no earlier effective date can be assigned.

The Board found that the veteran's right eye blindness existed prior to his entry into service and was not aggravated by service. As a result, the claim of service connection for right eye blindness is denied.

The Board found that the veteran does not currently have a residual disability as a result of an inservice cold injury to the feet, and thus denied service connection for residuals of frozen feet.

The Board denied service connection for vaginal problems, mitral valve prolapse, hysterectomy, thyroid disorder, and chronic fatigue syndrome. The veteran's claim for service connection for chronic hypoglycemia was also denied.

The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected malaria does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation, as he currently does not exhibit active symptoms or liver/spleen damage.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 50 percent disability rating for hidradenitis suppurativa was denied. The RO increased the disability rating to 50 percent and assigned an effective date of July 30, 1999.

The service-connected duodenal ulcer did not cause or contribute to the veteran's death. The VA physician concluded that the veteran's demise was caused by aspiration pneumonia, and found no evidence of activity in his gastrointestinal disease up until the time of his post-operative course.

The Board found that the veteran's cause of death (cardio-vascular shock, hemorrhage, and complicated peptic ulcer with perforations) was not caused by or related to service. The appellant's claims for accrued benefits and non-service-connected death pension benefits were also denied.

The Board finds that the veteran's current skin rash, characterized by itching, burning, and stinging of the groin area with secondary stria and intertrigo and perianal steroid atrophy, is due to a disease or injury incurred in service. As such, the claim for service connection is granted.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for a TDIU due to his service-connected hiatal hernia, finding that he is not unemployable as a result of this condition alone.

The VA determined that the veteran's respiratory disability does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent, based on the evidence showing mild impairment throughout the evaluation period.

The veteran's appeal for non-service connected disability pension is dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for arthritis, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected left thumb disability, finding that a higher rating was not warranted based on the evidence provided.

The Board has granted an increased rating of 20 percent for the veteran's service-connected postoperative residuals of a fracture of the first metatarsal, left foot.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking any of the conditions to his military service.