Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claim remains on appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no legal entitlement to compensation for birth defects of his child based on exposure during active duty. The remaining issues were also denied.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized private medical expenses is denied as the services were not pre-authorized by VA and he had insurance coverage.

The Veteran's service-connected polymorphous light eruption does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA disability evaluation guidelines.

The Board has remanded both issues for additional development, including new examinations by a dentist and a scars examiner. The Veteran's claims will be re-adjudicated after the completion of this development.

The Veteran's appeal for a waiver of the recovery of an overpayment of Department of Veterans Affairs improved pension benefits has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to any decision being made.

The Board is remanding the case to the RO for scheduling a Travel Board hearing in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's mood disorder is related to his service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of cold injuries to the feet, hands, and ears and a stomach condition due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development, including contacting NARA for information verifying the designation of the Veteran's unit as a semi-regular unit by USAFFE or USFIP.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hernia and bladder disabilities resulting from a radical retro pubic prostatectomy performed in 2004 were denied. The VA examiner found no evidence of a current hernia disability or any direct link between the surgery and the Veteran's current bladder condition.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating higher than 10 percent for bilateral posterior subcapsular cataracts, for purposes of accrued benefits, was denied as his best corrected distant visual acuity in both eyes met the criteria for a noncompensable disability rating.

The Veteran's left knee disability, specifically the limitation of extension, is rated at 50 percent effective December 9, 2011.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to lack of evidence linking his lung cancer to active military service, and because he did not serve in Vietnam or have exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's death was not service-connected, but he is eligible for a plot or interment allowance due to his eligibility for burial in a national cemetery and the place of final disposition being at a privately owned cemetery.

The Veteran's service-connected left inguinal hernia disability is rated at 30 percent since June 4, 2008. The claim for an earlier effective date and extension of the temporary total rating are denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran's dystonia symptoms were chronic in service and have been continuous since service separation. The evidence is in equipoise on whether the dystonia began during active duty, with some lay and medical evidence supporting this claim.

The Board found no current residuals of the direct laryngoscopy performed during service and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU was denied as his service-connected schizoaffective disorder did not meet the criteria for entitlement to TDIU, and no new or material evidence had been submitted within one year of the November 2007 rating decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is related to his in-service exposure to herbicides, specifically Agent Orange. As such, service connection for MDS as secondary to presumed in-service herbicide exposure is granted.