Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for neurological disabilities of both upper extremities due to insufficient examination findings and lack of a diagnosis. The Veteran is required to undergo further VA examinations to determine if he has any diagnosed disorders in his right or left upper extremities, and whether these conditions are related to his active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and medical opinion regarding the Veteran's systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus) disorder, which is believed to be related to in-service exposure to turbine engine fumes. The examiner must determine if there is at least a 50% probability that the onset of the Veteran’s lupus is related to his reported in-service exposure.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development regarding the Veteran's service connection claims, including his assertions of exposure to hazardous chemicals during service.

The Veteran's spouse was awarded an additional $1,100 in service-connected burial benefits, bringing the total to the maximum allowable amount of $2,000 for a non-Federal employee.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an umbilical hernia and a skin disorder (basal cell cancer) due to insufficient medical opinions addressing the Veteran's credible statements regarding in-service injuries.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his claim of entitlement to a total disability based upon individual unemployability (TDIU). The Board finds the preponderance of the evidence against his claims for a rating in excess of 40 percent for median nerve damage and loss of grip strength due to fracture of radius and ulna.

The appeal is dismissed because the Veteran died and there are no longer any benefits to apportion.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a neck condition, finding that there is no causal relationship between his current neck disability and his active duty service.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant died during the pendency of the claim, and thus has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for malignant neoplasms of the stomach or lungs and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for skin problems to include tumors, bumps, cysts, and rash as a result of exposure to herbicide agents was denied. The Board also remanded the issues regarding increased rating for chronic obstructive bronchial pulmonary disease and evaluation for sinusitis.

The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for right leg muscular atrophy because the Veteran did not have a qualifying additional disability caused or made worse by VA treatment, and thus there was no basis to grant compensation.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right middle lobe lobectomy caused his death in December 2009. The examiner is asked to determine if the surgery was a proximate cause of the Veteran's death and if it resulted from fault on the part of VA.

The Board has remanded the case for a clarification of the opinions provided by the VA physician, as they are not sufficient to decide the claims. The Veteran needs an advisory opinion from a urologic surgeon regarding the nature and cause of his additional disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) rating due to non-compliance with its previous directives.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of CUE in a December 1960 rating decision that granted service connection for residuals of a gunshot wound to the right thigh and assigned an initial disability rating of 10 percent. The Veteran argued that he should have been rated higher due to his muscle disabilities, but the Board found no clear and unmistakable error.

The Board has remanded the claims for cerebrovascular disease, right and left foot disabilities, and bilateral hearing loss due to their inextricably intertwined relationship with the substitution request. The cause of death claim is also remanded as it may impact the eligibility for substitution.

The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with previous instructions and because new evidence reasonably raises an alternative theory of entitlement. The Veteran's death was caused by sepsis, pneumonia, dementia, TIAs, and hyperlipidemia. The cause or contributory causes are being evaluated for service connection.

The Board has restored a 10 percent rating for recurrent left Bell's Palsy with crocodile tears (Bell's Palsy) due to the reduction being improper and not consistent with applicable regulations.