Other conditions Board decisions

The Board denied the appellant's request for an earlier effective date for DIC benefits, determining that April 1, 1996 is the earliest effective date provided by law.

The veteran's claim for educational assistance benefits under Chapter 106, Title 10, United States Code, for periods of enrollment from August 26, 1991 to May 5, 1995 is denied as he did not satisfy the criteria for such benefits.

The veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling the veteran for a VA examination.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to verify the veteran's claimed in-service stressors and determine if he meets the criteria for service connection for post-traumatic-stress-disorder.

The Board has found new and material evidence to reopen the claim for service connection for actinic keratosis and basal cell epithelioma, which was previously denied. The veteran's current skin conditions are related to inservice sun exposure.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board notes that the criteria governing the evaluation of hearing impairment have changed, but these changes do not affect the outcome of this case.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have qualifying service in the Armed Forces of the United States and therefore is not eligible for VA benefits.

The Board has determined that the veteran's liver disease is related to his military service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The appellant is not entitled to recognition as the veteran's surviving spouse for the purposes of reinstating VA death pension benefits due to her living with another person and holding herself out openly as that person's spouse.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA audiologic examination and referral to the VA's Under Secretary for Benefits or the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for an extraschedular evaluation.

The Board denied the appellant's request for waiver of overpayment of death pension benefits due to it being untimely filed, more than 180 days after notice was sent.

The Board has granted a 10 percent disability rating for the appellant's service-connected residuals of a back injury with degenerative changes and L4-L5 herniated nucleus pulposus, effective as of March 27, 1992.

The VA determined that the appellant, M., is not the last-named beneficiary of the veteran's NSLI policy and thus is not entitled to the proceeds.

The Board has dismissed the matter as it is not within its jurisdiction to decide eligibility for direct payment of a fee from past-due benefits.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a right leg injury.

The Board denied reopening the claim for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, maintaining that the existing evidence was insufficient to reopen the case.

The veteran's claim for service connection for postoperative residuals of Dupuytren's contracture of the left finger was denied in an April 1992 rating decision. The veteran did not file a notice of disagreement, making this decision final.

The veteran died of an acute myocardial infarction in 1976. The cause of death is not related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for cerebrovascular accident and cardiovascular disorder, finding that these conditions were not present during service or within one year of separation, and are not related to service.

The Board found that a timely substantive appeal was not perfected from the May 8, 1997 rating decision which recharacterized the veteran's service-connected right upper extremity disorder as right (minor) hand and wrist injury residuals including Muscle Group VII injury evaluated as 30 percent disabling. The issue of entitlement to an increased evaluation for the veteran's service-connected right hand and wrist disability is referred back to the RO.