Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete documentation regarding a veteran's stepson's application for retroactive DIC benefits and establishment of service-connected death or entitlement to REPS benefits. The VARO is instructed to associate any additional documents, including separate files related to Chapter 35 of title 38, Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance, with the claims folder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of an injury to his right little finger and a skin disorder claimed as due to Agent Orange exposure. The issue of entitlement to TDIU is pending.

The Board dismissed the appellant's appeal because she did not file a timely Notice of Disagreement regarding the Committee's May 1996 decision denying her request for a waiver of overpayment of VA death pension benefits.

The veteran's appeal for educational assistance benefits under Chapter 30 was denied as he did not meet the basic eligibility criteria.

The Board found that there is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's cause of death to nicotine dependence or tobacco use in service, and denied the claim.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim but determined that it is not well-grounded, as there is no evidence linking his current circulatory disorder to service.

The Board found that there was no medical evidence showing a nexus between the veteran's current low back disability and any events occurring during his hospitalization in 1986, thus denying the claim under Section 1151.

The Board has dismissed the appeal because the veteran died during the pendency of the appeal and thus no longer has jurisdiction to adjudicate the claim.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for secondary service connection for left hip replacement and alcoholism were not well-grounded, as there was no medical evidence supporting these claims. The claim for increased evaluation of PTSD remains pending.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. The evidence now submitted is considered new and material, making it plausible that the veteran's condition was associated with his military service.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected low back disorder was denied by the RO, as the schedular criteria for a 60 percent rating were not met.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim of service connection for a shell fragment wound to the jaw and gum is not well-grounded. The claims for increased evaluations are denied as there is no evidence linking current disabilities to service or showing they meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim is well-grounded and grants service connection for leg ulcers and phlebitis, attributing it to aggravation of a pre-existing condition during service.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for disability benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to impotence and additional disability of the left lower extremity, finding that there was no evidence showing a causal relationship between VA treatment in 1993 and 1994 and the current conditions.

The Board found that the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death was not well-grounded due to a lack of medical evidence linking the veteran's emphysema, caused by smoking, to his time in service.

The Board has granted a waiver of recovery of the veteran's overpayment of $3,168.00 in pension benefits due to VA error and minimal fault on the part of the veteran.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a right leg disorder due to new evidence submitted since the 1989 denial. However, there is no competent medical evidence linking the current condition to service.

The veteran's post traumatic stress disorder was granted a 70 percent evaluation from July 1, 1998. Prior to that date, he had been rated at 30 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's injuries on August 13, 1993, were caused by his own willful misconduct and denied his claim for VA compensation.

The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Sacred Heart Hospital in January 1994 is denied as her service-connected disability was not established.