Other conditions Board decisions

The Board denied the reopening of the claim for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right shoulder disability, which is currently rated at 20 percent, does not warrant a higher rating as his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The veteran's request for additional vocational rehabilitation training was denied because she has already achieved her goal of obtaining an Associate's degree in business management, and the evidence does not support extending her IWRP to include a bachelor's degree.

The Board is remanding the case to the RO for development and adjudication of claims for death pension or accrued benefits, DIC pursuant to 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318(b)(1), and service connection for cause of death.

The veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for service-connected chronic bilateral blepharoconjunctivitis with history of a corneal ulcer is denied as he is already receiving the maximum schedular evaluation.

The Board has determined that the January 1946 rating action denying service connection for amputation of the right ring finger was clearly and unmistakably erroneous, and service connection is granted. The effective date for a compensable rating for a surgical scar on the palm of the right hand remains at November 1982.

The veteran's claim for basic eligibility for educational assistance under Chapter 30, Title 38, United States Code is denied due to failure to meet the service eligibility requirements.

The Board has granted the waiver of recovery of loan guaranty indebtedness in the amount of $10,000 plus accrued interest, finding that it would not be against equity and good conscience to require repayment.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected gunshot wound of the right forearm did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation, as it was only moderate in nature.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected residuals of left hydrocelectomy with chronic epididymitis and orchiectomy, currently rated at 10 percent.

The veteran's pension benefits were terminated due to income from self-employment. The Regional Office (RO) has requested additional information and will re-adjudicate the issue of a waiver of recovery of overpayment.

The veteran's prostatitis is manifested by intermittent infections, some outlet obstruction for which he declines surgery, a smooth prostate on examinations for the past year, and complaints of incomplete emptying, urgency, weak stream, straining to void, waking up to urinate four times a night, and urinating more frequently than every two hours. The disability picture presented by the veteran's prostatitis most nearly approximates the criteria for a 10 percent rating.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for peptic ulcer disease, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected disabilities, finding that the current ratings are appropriate based on the severity of the conditions and lack of evidence supporting higher ratings.

The veteran's claim for reopening his duodenal ulcer service connection is being remanded due to the need to obtain recent treatment records from a VA medical facility.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for an enlarged heart and a higher rating for his service-connected restrictive lung disease, finding that there was no competent evidence of current diagnoses or a link between these conditions and his service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death. The service-connected disability is considered to have hindered the veteran's ability to recuperate from postoperative esophageal cancer, contributing to his debilitated state prior to death.

The veteran developed squamous cell carcinoma as a result of full body exposure to mustard gas in service, and the Board granted service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the predominant disability was due to hiatal hernia, warranting a 30% rating under Diagnostic Code 7346 prior to May 1995 and a 20% rating thereafter.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for lung disability and peripheral vascular disease due to tobacco use are not well-grounded, as there is no medical evidence showing a diagnosis of nicotine dependence in service or thereafter, nor linking either condition to his use of tobacco during service.