Other conditions Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's election for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits is irrevocable and denied his appeal for a rescission of these benefits. The claim for a higher rate of Chapter 33 educational assistance was also denied as he did not meet the eligibility criteria.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain updated medical records and to schedule the Veteran for an examination to determine the nature and etiology of his bilateral hip disorder.

The Board has decided that additional evidence is needed to determine if the appellant's 'other than honorable' discharge can be considered an 'honorable' discharge for VA purposes. The case will be returned to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for further action.

The Veteran's mother is not eligible for CHAMPVA benefits as the law does not provide for such eligibility.

The Veteran's appeal for a special home adaptation grant has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing the case as a result.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as he did not meet the legal criteria for extending his delimiting date beyond April 3, 2009.

The Veteran's death occurred prior to the eligibility date for a government-furnished headstone or marker, and he was buried in a private cemetery with a privately-purchased headstone. Therefore, his claim is denied.

The Board has ordered additional development to verify the character of discharge for a specific period of service. The case will be returned to the Board after this verification is completed.

The Veteran's ulcerative colitis is currently productive of complaints of attacks seven or more times per year, including ones leading to vitamin deficiency and requiring hospitalization. The evidence shows severe ulcerative colitis with numerous attacks a year.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have qualifying service to be eligible for the one-time payment from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for Wegener's granulomatosis, finding that it did not have onset in-service and is not related to presumed Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic degenerative changes of the second metacarpal of the right hand have been characterized by pain, stiffness, cold sensation, occasional numbness, decreased manual dexterity, and problems with lifting and carrying. The disability has not been found to warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's bilateral eye condition is denied as it was not caused by VA medical treatment, and the event did not result from carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault on the part of the VA health care providers.

The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death, metastatic pancreatic cancer, is related to herbicide exposure during service and grants service connection for the cause of death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to a lack of adequate reasons and bases for its determination that a VA examination was not warranted. The case is now returned to the AOJ for further consideration.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a mental capacity assessment to determine if he understood his nonservice-connected pension benefits and obligations.

The Veteran's claim for waiver of overpayment of Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) education benefits in the amount of $15,118.32 is granted due to a lack of valid creation of the overpayment and his enrollment at Tarrant County College during the period when he was on active duty.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance expenses incurred on April 4, 2009 and April 13, 2009 has been resolved in full by the Columbia, Missouri Medical Center. The appeal is dismissed as there remains no case in controversy.

The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for Myasthenia Gravis, as there was no medical evidence showing it had its onset during active duty or within one year after discharge. The Veteran's symptoms were noted to have started in 1998, seven years after his discharge.

The Veteran's service-connected left lung spontaneous pneumothorax does not render him unemployable, as his cardiac conditions and other nonservice-connected disabilities are the primary causes of his inability to work.