Other conditions Board decisions

The appellant's claim for a one-time payment from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund was denied because he did not have qualifying service and therefore is not eligible for VA benefits.

The Board has determined that there is no valid common law marriage between the Veteran and the appellant, as required for VA benefits purposes. The Veteran consistently stated he was never married.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of posttraumatic arthritis of the right middle finger was denied as there is no evidence that she filed a claim prior to December 22, 2010.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to the appellant's incarceration and requests for a hearing. The claim will be reviewed again after the additional actions are taken.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred in August 2010 at Northern Michigan Regional Hospital was denied because he had not received medical services under the authority of 38 U.S.C. Chapter 17 within the previous 24 months.

The Board found that the Veteran's right hand disorder (diagnosed as a tremor) is not related to service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's irrevocable election for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits was not properly completed, resulting in a denial of her claim.

The Veteran's effective dates for the 80% disability evaluation for narcolepsy and TDIU have been granted as of September 29, 2005. The earlier effective date is not warranted.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal concerning the increased rating for residuals of osteochondroma excision.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling an addendum opinion from a VA examiner to determine if the Veteran's HIV-related illness is related to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right leg disability, post-thrombotic syndrome with deep vein thrombosis of the right calf, was a predictable progression of a pre-existing condition (thrombophlebitis) that existed prior to service and was aggravated by service.

The Board found that termination of the Veteran's pension benefits effective April 1, 2003 was proper due to excessive income.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability is caused by his service-connected left ankle disability, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Putnam Community Medical Center from November 10, 2012 to November 14, 2012 was denied as the Veteran had coverage under Medicare Part A which is a bar to VA reimbursement.

The Board found doubt in the Veteran's favor regarding his skin disability, finding it could be related to service. However, due to lack of definitive evidence and conflicting opinions, the decision is mixed.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to evaluate the Veteran's left foot disorder and determine if it is related to his service-connected left knee disability. The Veteran also requested that VA obtain his VA treatment records from VAMC Salisbury.

The Veteran's application for education benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill Program was denied because he did not meet the eligibility criteria, specifically having a minimum of 30 continuous days of active duty service on or after September 10, 2001 and being discharged under other than dishonorable conditions due to a service-connected disability. The Veteran's discharge was under honorable conditions but not honorable as required for education benefits.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to potential misplacement of service treatment records and other reasons.

The Board finds that alcoholism due to service-connected PTSD substantially contributed to the Veteran's cause of death, acute necrotizing pancreatitis. The decision is in favor of granting service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his inability to travel for a hearing. The case will be processed in accordance with established appellate procedure.