Other conditions Board decisions

The Board determined that the appellant is not entitled to recognition as the veteran's surviving spouse, effective January 1, 1960, due to living with another person and holding herself out openly to the public as their spouse.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of October 22, 1989, for a 30 percent disability rating for vitiligo. The RO established this effective date based on the date of receipt of the reopened claim, but there is no evidence that such a claim was received on that date.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection are not well grounded, and thus denied.

The veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound was denied as he does not meet the criteria due to his multiple nonservice-connected disabilities, lack of visual impairment requiring aid and attendance, and inability to require regular personal health care services.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for basic eligibility to VA non-service connected disability pension benefits due to a lack of qualifying 'active service' as per the law.

The Board has determined that the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is not well grounded and denied. The appellant is also ineligible for Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a personal hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board determined that the veteran's dysthymic disorder warrants a 30 percent evaluation, effective from April 1991.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities, including shrapnel wounds to the left back and abdomen, do not warrant increased evaluations as their current manifestations are no more than moderate muscle injuries.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased evaluation for his service-connected gunshot wound to the left thigh and denied service connection for bilateral knee disorders and degenerative disc disease of the spine, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his active service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's nicotine dependence had its onset during service and is related to his tobacco use. The evidence also supports a finding of cardiovascular disease being secondary to his nicotine dependence. However, the claim for service connection for cardiac disease was previously denied in October 1985, but new evidence submitted since then suggests it may be reopened.

The Board has granted a 30 percent initial rating for the veteran's recurrent ureteral stone disorder, effective from August 28, 1992. The claim for service connection for a chronic skin disorder secondary to herbicide exposure (Agent Orange) is not well grounded.

The veteran's appeal is for an increased disability evaluation for his service-connected acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), currently rated at 60 percent. The RO has granted a higher initial rating of 60 percent effective September 1991.

The veteran's request for waiver of recovery of his VA loan guaranty indebtedness was denied as he did not submit a timely request.

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting heart murmur was not aggravated by service and concluded that it is a congenital defect for which service connection may not be granted.

The Board granted an increased rating of 20 percent for the residuals of grenade fragment wounds to the right thigh and leg, Muscle Groups XI and XIV. The claim for a compensable rating for the left index finger felon was also granted.

The Board has granted a 50% evaluation for the veteran's post-operative residuals of a fractured right femur, including trochanteric bursitis and traumatic arthritis. The disability is rated under the criteria for muscle injuries (Diagnostic Code 5317).

The veteran's appeal for an increased rating for his service-connected gunshot wound to the right hand and forearm was denied by the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's service-connected discogenic disease, L5-S1, with spondylolisthesis in September 1985. The decision is now being reviewed to determine if it was clearly and unmistakably erroneous.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected psychological symptoms affecting tachycardia was not well-grounded. The claim of secondary service connection for a bilateral leg disorder manifested by hip locking and weakness of the legs is also denied as there is no competent medical evidence establishing a causal relationship between the current disability and the service-connected condition.