Other conditions Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected herniated nucleus pulposus, L4-5, S-1 was rated at 60 percent disabling for over twenty years and is not entitled to a higher rating. The Board also granted entitlement to total disability based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted a special apportionment of the Veteran's VA disability compensation benefits to the appellant on behalf of C.R.J., in the amount of the dependency allowance for one dependent child, due to financial hardship demonstrated by the appellant.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information regarding payment of the Veteran's hospital bill from 1988 and a need for an examination to determine the etiology of his left pinky finger condition.

The Veteran's bilateral inguinal hernia and right testicle atrophy are rated as noncompensable, but the Board has referred his claims for increased ratings to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration of an extraschedular rating due to their impact on employment.,The Veteran is seeking a compensable schedular rating for his bilateral inguinal hernia and right testicle atrophy. The Board has remanded these issues, as well as the issue of entitlement to a 10 percent rating based upon multiple, noncompensable, service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of oropharyngeal cancer has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board denied recognition of the appellant as the Veteran’s surviving spouse, finding that she did not meet the legal requirements for such status.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) due to insufficient evidence of a current diagnosis and potential gaps in medical records. The Veteran is required to provide additional information about his periods of active duty, including National Guard service, and undergo a VA examination to determine if he currently has GBS and whether it is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use of a creative organ due to its inextricability with the Veteran's claim for service connection for Female Sexual Arousal Disorder.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for cold weather injury residuals of his bilateral feet are being remanded due to inconsistencies in the examination report and the need for a new evaluation.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's sinonasal adenocarcinoma was related to his presumed Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam.

The appeal for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred during a non-VA hospitalization is dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has determined that the issue of entitlement to an apportionment of the Veteran's VA benefits to the appellant, on behalf of the minor child L.L., is not ripe for appellate review due to procedural issues. The case involves a simultaneously contested claim and requires full compliance with special procedural regulations.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected bilateral tibia fractures with patellar chondromalacia and degenerative joint disease were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for either knee.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of prostatitis was dismissed due to his death.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate VA opinions and the need for additional evidence. The Veteran's symptoms of numbness, pain, and loss of grip strength in his hands are being evaluated further.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for additional compensation for his dependent spouse and two children, as he did not provide notice of their existence within one year of VA notifications.,VA awarded the Veteran additional compensation for his dependents starting from December 23, 2015. The Veteran argued that an earlier date was warranted due to incorrect advice about automatic add-ons and non-receipt of notices.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is dismissed as moot because he has already been awarded a 100% schedular rating for his service-connected disabilities, which effectively grants him the benefit of his claim.

The Veteran's service-connected pleural plaques caused or contributed to his death due to an accidental fall while using a nebulizer for treatment of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for hypogonadism as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected mastitis of the left breast, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his condition was caused or aggravated by his active duty military service.

The Veteran's income exceeded the maximum allowable pension rate for nonservice-connected disability pension benefits prior to September 5, 2019. Therefore, he is not entitled to these benefits.