Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's current bilateral foot disorder is related to his active military service. The case is therefore REMANDED for this purpose.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to an earlier effective date for additional compensation benefits based on his dependent spouse is denied as a matter of law.

The Veteran's fecal incontinence disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has ordered a new VA examination to assess the current level of severity.

The Board determined that the appellant's period of military service was not honorable due to multiple instances of willful and persistent misconduct, including theft and unauthorized absences. As a result, his character of discharge is dishonorable, which bars VA benefits except for those under Chapter 17.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a medical examination to determine if his Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) is related to his presumed exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and there is no evidence of herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The Board therefore denies the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The case is being returned to the RO for additional development due to missing documents, including a certificate of death and application for benefits. The DIC claim will be reconsidered based on this new information.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as he does not meet the eligibility criteria for VA Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) monthly housing allowance benefits due to his enrollment rate at RPI being less than one-half time.

The Board has granted the appellant's request for an earlier effective date for the transfer of educational benefits under the post-9/11GI Bill, giving her the benefit of the doubt and granting a beginning date of August 1, 2009.

The Board denied the Appellant's claim as she does not qualify as the Veteran's surviving spouse for VA purposes due to her divorce from the Veteran in November 1968.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at the University of Michigan Hospital on November 13-14, 2011 was denied as he did not meet all eligibility criteria under VA regulations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a rescheduled hearing. The case will be returned to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) after the scheduled hearing.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. The appellant did not provide any evidence that could reasonably support a finding that the Veteran's gastroenteritis was incurred during his recognized period of service or is otherwise related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this case.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claim of service connection for residuals of a voice box injury will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further proceedings due to uncertainty regarding whether the in-service removal of teeth #24 and #25 caused or aggravated the Veteran's current uneven bone loss. The claim will be returned to the AOJ for additional development.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his fractures of the right superior ischiopubic ramus and both inferior ischial rami, to include myofascial pain syndrome, from October 21, 2005 forward has been remanded due to the need for another VA examination.

The Veteran contends that he sustained a gunshot wound prior to service and that his injury was aggravated during basic training. The VA examiner found no residuals of the gunshot wound, but noted chronic neuropathic pain secondary to the injury. The Board finds this opinion inadequate for rating purposes due to conflicting evidence in the medical records.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral knee disability, diagnosed as chondromalacia patellae, is not etiologically related to his military service. The preponderance of evidence is against the finding that his in-service activities caused or were otherwise related to his current condition.

The Board is remanding the case to consider whether earlier effective dates should be granted for residuals of a shell fragment wound in the suprapubic area, including claims of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in August 1971 and March 1978 rating decisions.