Other conditions Board decisions

The Board found that the veteran's irritable colon syndrome preexisted his military service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it was determined that the condition was aggravated by a non-service-connected cause.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased initial evaluations, finding that his shell fragment wound residuals did not meet criteria for compensable ratings.

The Board found that the forfeiture declared against the appellant was proper based on his knowing and intentional misrepresentation of his marital status.

The Board found that the appellant timely filed a substantive appeal from the October 17, 1991 rating decision denying his application to reopen a claim of service connection for a brain tumor.

The VA denied the appellant's claim for basic eligibility for VA benefits based on her late husband's alleged qualifying military service in the United States Armed Forces, as the Department of the Army certified that he had no recognized guerrilla or Commonwealth Army service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's skin disorders, including cysts, were not incurred as a result of service and are not related to herbicide exposure. The claim for an increased rating for PTSD is also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected right arm disability, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under the applicable schedular criteria.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for gastrointestinal and dermatological disorders, finding no evidence of a causal relationship between these conditions and his active duty service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current ulcerative colitis is related to an episode of intestinal disease during his active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the veteran's previously denied claim for service connection for a left eye condition, including defective vision with amblyopia, external strabismus, and esotropia. The decision now requires consideration of this reopened claim.

The Board finds that the veteran's left foot neuroma disability warrants a 10 percent evaluation, as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has determined that the veteran's request for waiver of recovery of an overpayment of VA improved pension benefits in the amount of $13,431 was not timely filed and thus denied.

The Board denied the appellant's claim as she did not meet the criteria for recognition as the surviving spouse of the veteran for purposes of establishing entitlement to VA benefits.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as the veteran's surviving spouse, finding that she did not meet the requirements of a valid marriage or deemed valid marriage under VA law.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral retinal detachment and a compensable evaluation for chronic conjunctivitis, finding that the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and service.

The Board denied service connection for Perthes' disease of the left hip and denied increased evaluations for bilateral defective hearing. The veteran's claim for service connection was based on aggravation, but there is no evidence to support a finding that his pre-service condition worsened during service.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected heart disorder, stating that the evidence did not show he was precluded from performing light manual labor.

The Board found that the veteran's left diaphragm disability was not caused or worsened by his service-connected condition, and that the VA treatment in June 1987 did not cause or worsen his left diaphragm disorder.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for her skin disorder is being remanded to the RO for scheduling an additional personal hearing before a local hearing officer.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his thyroid cancer did not contribute to his respiratory failure due to meningeal carcinomatosis.