Other conditions Board decisions

The Veteran's chronic respiratory disorder, diagnosed as interstitial pneumonitis, pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, is related to his in-service exposure to herbicides. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for legal eligibility to VA benefits, including pension benefits, due to his discharge from service under conditions other than honorable.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including an examination to determine if the Veteran is housebound or requires regular aid and attendance due to his stroke residuals. The issue on appeal includes nonservice-connected pension and special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status.

The Board has decided to remand the case for a new VA examination of the Veteran's right hip due to inconsistencies in the previous examiner's opinion and the need to consider additional evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and arranging for a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected heart disability. The claim will also be considered in light of any new evidence received.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of reopening his service connection claim for urethral stricture and finding that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the April 1989 rating decision. The Board also found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as the Veteran's surviving spouse for VA death pension benefits due to a lack of evidence supporting her status as such.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as a child of the Veteran for VA death benefits due to her marriage, which is a bar under VA regulations.

The Veteran's claims for respiratory disability, neurological disabilities of the right and left lower extremities were denied as not related to service or herbicide exposure. The Veteran is presumed exposed to herbicides in service.

The appellant has withdrawn her appeal for VA nonservice-connected death pension benefits, and the Board finds that it is appropriate to dismiss this matter.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for numbness of the right foot has not been reopened, and his left hamstring disability is currently rated at 40%.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's service was not during a period of war, thus he does not meet the threshold requirement for eligibility for nonservice-connected VA pension benefits.

The Board has granted service connection for endometriosis resulting in residuals of a hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and assigned a 10 percent evaluation effective from December 4, 2006. The issue of an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for vaginitis is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a new examination to assess the severity of his service-connected perianal abscess and pilonidal cyst.

The Veteran died of cancer at a private hospital. The VA did not find evidence that he was hospitalized by VA or had pending claims for benefits, nor does the record indicate his body is being held due to lack of next of kin. Therefore, the criteria for non-service-connected burial benefits are not met.

The Board finds that the appellant is entitled to a full refund of any and all amounts collected or garnished for the period of January 2010 to August 2012 due to VA's incompetence in processing her employment information.

The Veteran's cause of death, glioblastoma multiforme, was not incurred in or related to service. The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's glioblastoma multiforme to his military service, including exposure to herbicides.

The Board has determined that the appellant is entitled to $460 in monthly VA death pension benefits, which is at least equal to what she is entitled to based on her reported income and unreimbursed medical expenses.

The Board has determined that an effective date of December 3, 1985 is granted for the grant of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to a soft tissue sarcoma as presumed due to in-service herbicide exposure.