Other conditions Board decisions

The veteran's service-connected pulmonary melioidosis of the left upper lobe is currently asymptomatic and does not warrant a compensable rating.

The veteran's indebtedness of $547.34 for retroactive copayment charges for VA medical care is waived due to the principles of equity and good conscience.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for a skin disorder of the feet. The case will now be reviewed de novo by the RO.

The Board has determined that the veteran's preexisting left foot condition, including a bunionectomy, worsened during her service and is therefore service-connected.

The Board found that the veteran did not act in bad faith when he failed to accurately report his earned income, and thus waived recovery of the overpayment.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability and denied both the cause of death claim and the eligibility for Dependent's Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.

The Board has remanded the case to obtain a VA cardiovascular specialist's opinion on whether the veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder caused or aggravated his hypertensive cardiovascular disease, which led to his death.

The veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death while the case was pending before the Court.

The Board denied the appellant's claim, finding that his discharge from service was under dishonorable conditions due to willful and persistent misconduct. The Board concluded that this discharge constitutes a bar to VA benefits (exclusive of health care under Chapter 17, Title 38, United States Code).

The Board has remanded the case for additional development of the record, including a comprehensive VA examination to determine the current severity of the veteran's service-connected disabilities and their effect on his ability to leave home and care for basic needs without assistance.

The veteran died without a will, and the appellant is not his spouse or child. The VA check was returned to the VA due to the death of the payee. As such, there is no legal basis for awarding accrued benefits to the appellant.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current disability manifested by tingling and numbness in the legs, to include meralgia paresthetica, is due to disease or injury incurred in service.

The veteran's service connection claim for bilateral defective hearing is granted as the Board finds that his current hearing loss disability originated during his period of active military service.

The preponderance of the medical evidence is against finding that a service-connected disability caused or contributed to the veteran's death from malignant mesothelioma.

The veteran's bilateral pes cavus is now rated at 50 percent effective September 27, 1999. The RO also granted TDIU based on the veteran's service-connected bilateral pes cavus.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current peripheral vascular disease is not service-connected and denied reopening of his claim for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by bronchopneumonia and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, which are service-connected due to his exposure to vesicant agents during World War I. The Board found it likely as not that the VA's failure to treat a probable myocardial infarction contributed to the cause of death.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected lipoma of the right forearm is being remanded due to a lack of recent VA examination and consideration of functional limitations.

The veteran's claim for payment of unauthorized air ambulance expenses incurred on March 4, 1999 was denied because the travel was not authorized in advance and because his transfer to the Albuquerque VA Spinal Cord Injury Center was not undertaken in connection with a medical emergency such that delay to obtain authorization would have been hazardous to the person's life or health.

The veteran died due to severe dehydration with shock, which was not a certain or very nearly certain result of his treatment. The Board found that the VA care did not cause or contribute significantly to the death.