Other conditions Board decisions

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting degenerative joint disease of the right hip did not increase in severity during service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's service-connected right third and fifth finger disorders have been rated at 30 percent since December 9, 1994. The Board finds that the evidence does not support an evaluation in excess of this rating.

The Board has granted a higher disability rating of 50% for the veteran's service-connected bilateral claw foot, taking into account the veteran's recent assertions that his condition has worsened over time.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for a ventral hernia and its residuals (stomach injury) is not well-grounded, as there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran's appeal is dismissed because the veteran died during the pendency of the appeal, and veterans' claims do not survive their deaths.

The Board found no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's broken teeth to VA treatment or examination, and thus denied his claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well-grounded and denied them.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claim of entitlement to an effective date prior to March 1, 1995 for DIC benefits based on his status as a helpless child is well grounded. The RO will now determine if VA should have considered the appellant's initial application for Social Security disability benefits filed in either 1976 or 1977 and if so, whether it was of a form jointly prescribed by the Secretary and the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death and also denied entitlement to Dependent's Educational Assistance. The appellant failed to present evidence that her husband's death was caused by a condition related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for lower jaw cramp/pain, head injury with memory loss, and chest pain. These conditions are considered direct service connections based on evidence of in-service incurrence.

The Board denied the veteran's request for a waiver of recovery of an overpayment of VA improved pension benefits in the amount of $5,770. The issue is not about service connection.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for ulcerative colitis and determined that it was incurred in service. Liver disease is also proximately due to or the result of service-connected ulcerative colitis.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection of Osgood-Schlatter disease, concluding that his allegation was not supported by medical evidence.

The veteran's request for a waiver of an overpayment of pension benefits was denied due to it being untimely, as he submitted his request 7 years after notification.

The Board has denied the claims for service connection for rubella, tonsillitis, and pharyngitis. The claim for increased rating of duodenal ulcer with small hiatal hernia is granted at a 10% disability rating. The claim for residuals of epididymitis is also granted at a 10% disability rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of an abdominal or leg disorder, and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions.

The veteran's claim for educational assistance benefits beyond April 30, 1997 was denied as he did not meet the criteria for an extension of his delimiting date due to being involuntarily separated from the Selected Reserve and having a service-connected disability. He was also not enrolled in an educational institution at the time.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected right radial nerve injury residuals is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development.

The veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for residuals of retinal detachment resulting from cataract removal was denied as the disability is currently rated noncompensable.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an initial disability evaluation in excess of 20 percent for residuals of a right (major) acromioclavicular separation, finding that his symptoms did not warrant a higher rating based on the clinical evidence and applicable rating criteria.