Other conditions Board decisions

The Board denied increased evaluations for shell fragment wounds of the right forearm and left testicle and scrotum with retained foreign bodies, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under the applicable rating schedule.

The Board awarded a 100 percent disability evaluation for the veteran's cold injury residuals effective January 12, 2000. The veteran also had his earlier effective date for service connection granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for skin disability due to exposure to Agent Orange is not well grounded, and thus denied.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) has determined that the veteran is not entitled to a waiver of recovery of his VA loan guaranty indebtedness in the amount of $20,264.66, plus accrued interest.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hip disorder, diagnosed as slipped femoral epiphysis, is not well grounded due to lack of competent evidence showing aggravation during service.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and eligibility for dependents' educational assistance under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35 due to lack of evidence supporting a relationship between the veteran's death and his military service.

The Board finds that new and material evidence has not been submitted to warrant reopening the September 1976 forfeiture decision, which remains final.

The Board found that the appellant did not submit new and material evidence to reopen his claim for service connection for left leg and right arm disorders, as no medical evidence presented since the July 1960 rating decision bears directly on the issue of a chronic condition during active duty.

The Board has determined that the veteran's gallbladder disease had its onset in service and granted her claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the current record is inadequate for rating purposes due to insufficient information regarding the degree of visual field loss in the veteran's right eye. The case is remanded for further development, including a VA ophthalmology examination.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, finding that there was no competent evidence linking his terminal disease to any in-service injury or disease.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for schizoaffective disorder and anorexia. The Board finds that there is continuity of symptomatology from her service period, including treatment for depression and suicidal behavior shortly after separation, which supports a finding of service connection.

The Board denied a higher rating for the veteran's residuals of a shrapnel wound to the right hand, currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected left groin and hip disability warrants a 20 percent evaluation, reflecting moderately severe impairment of Muscle Group XVIII.

The VA determined that the appellant could not be recognized as the veteran's surviving spouse for purposes of entitlement to DIC benefits.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bronchogenic small cell carcinoma with widespread mediastinal metastatic lymphadenopathy and supraclavicular lymphadenopathy with liver metastases resulting from herbicide exposure, finding that there was no medical evidence linking the condition to his period of active service.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for a right ear disorder, claimed as Eustachian tube dysfunction and otitis media, is not well grounded due to lack of current evidence of a disability.

The veteran's service-connected gastrointestinal disorder, characterized by a small hiatal hernia, reflux esophagitis, history of duodenal ulcers, and status post vagotomy, is currently rated at 30 percent disabling.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well grounded and denied them. The decision concluded that there was no evidence linking any current lung disorder or nicotine dependence to his military service.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for alcoholism as there was no competent medical evidence showing a diagnosis or link to service.