Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has denied service connection for cholelithiasis (gall stones) with intra-abdominal abscess, claimed as Crohn's disease. The RO granted service connection for right knee disability and assigned a 20% rating.

The veteran's schizoaffective disorder is manifested by daily panic attacks, anxiety, auditory hallucinations, and depression. The Board has determined that the current symptoms meet the criteria for a 70 percent rating under the schedular criteria.

The appellant is not shown to have had active military, naval or air service and therefore is ineligible for nonservice-connected disability pension benefits.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating and TDIU based on his service-connected gunshot wound to the neck, finding that the disability did not warrant a higher evaluation than the current 30 percent. The veteran was found capable of securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found that none of the service-connected disabilities caused or contributed significantly to the veteran's death. The cause of death was sepsis and bowel ischemia due to atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease. Therefore, service connection for the cause of death is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for forgetfulness, memory loss, and attention deficit as due to an undiagnosed illness. The sleep disorder is not service connected.

The Board denied the appellant's request for waiver of overpayment of death pension benefits due to a failure to file within 180 days after notification, as required by VA regulations.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for right tentorial meningioma as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation, finding that it is less likely than not that the condition resulted from such exposure.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and finds that new and material evidence has been presented. However, it is determined that neither Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease nor any other hereditary neurologic disease was incurred in or aggravated by wartime service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's angiolipomas (Dercum's disease) are due to exposure to an herbicide agent, specifically Agent Orange, during service. As such, the appeal is granted.

The Board found that the veteran's fatal leukemia was not caused by exposure to Agent Orange during service and denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.

The veteran's combined evaluation for residuals of a left foot injury is granted at 20 percent, with the separate evaluations for reflex sympathetic dystrophy and left foot injury rated as 10 percent each. The decision on reflex sympathetic dystrophy remains denied.

The Board denied service connection for a schizoid personality disorder as it is not considered a disease or injury under VA law.

The veteran's initial 10 percent rating for thoracic spine strain is upheld.

The Board has found that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of an orchiectomy, appendectomy, and hernioplasty. The RO should schedule a VA examination(s) to evaluate the veteran's current complaints and determine if any disability is related to his inservice treatment.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his complex regional pain syndrome involving the left ilioinguinal nerve, finding that it did not meet the schedular criteria. The issue of major depression was also addressed but is not included in this decision summary.

The appellant's request to extend her delimiting date for receipt of Dependents' Education Assistance under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code was denied as she is beyond the age of 31 and does not meet the statutory exception set forth in 38 C.F.R. § 21.3041(e)(2).

The veteran's stroke in July 1994 resulted from VA medical care, and the Board finds that there is an equipoise of evidence supporting his claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased evaluation for partial paralysis of the right upper extremity and special monthly compensation benefits for loss of use of the right hand and upper extremity, finding that his disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating or loss of use as defined by VA regulations.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased initial rating of 50 percent for his service-connected Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), finding that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation due to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in several areas, but without meeting the criteria for a 70% or 100% evaluation.