Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining relevant medical records and providing the appellant with VCAA notice. The issues on appeal are whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim of service connection for mitral and aortic stenosis, and entitlement to service connection for residuals of stroke as secondary to mitral and aortic stenosis.

The Veteran's service-connected left knee disability is found to have caused the Veteran to grab onto a tractor, resulting in a right biceps injury. The Board finds that this meets the criteria for secondary service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for gastric cancer, which he claims is due to herbicide exposure during his Vietnam service, has been remanded for additional development including a VA examination and the acquisition of relevant medical records.

The reduction of the Veteran's VA pension benefits based upon his countable income for the period commencing December 1, 2008 was appropriate.,The criteria for a dependency allowance for the Veteran's dependent spouse, D.I.H., have been met.

The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected condition, and the appellant did not meet the criteria for nonservice-connected burial benefits. The claim is denied.

The Veteran died of a non-service-connected disorder and was not buried in a state or national cemetery. Therefore, the claim for burial benefits is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue due to asbestos exposure in service. Bilateral hearing loss is not shown to be related to service.

The Board has denied the appellant's request to have an earlier effective date for death pension benefits based on a need for aid and attendance, as the claim was received by VA on April 6, 2009. The effective date is set at April 1, 2009.

The appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant, thus the case is dismissed.

The Board found that the Veteran's circulatory disorder of the right lower extremity, including deep vein thrombosis, was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected disability. Therefore, service connection for this condition as secondary to a service-connected disability is denied.

The Veteran's left hip greater trochanteric bursitis and DJD are currently rated at 10 percent, the highest available under the rating schedule. The scars are also rated at 10 percent. Beginning September 10, 2007, his service-connected disabilities alone prevent him from obtaining and maintaining all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal is still pending and requires further development, including a VA scars examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected residuals of recurrent basal cell carcinoma. The case will be remanded for compliance with previous Board instructions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's psoriatic arthritis of multiple joints is related to his in-service herbicide and malathion exposure, granting service connection for this condition.

The Veteran seeks additional beneficiary travel payments for trips to a VA-authorized health care facility from March 2011 to July 2011. The VAMC denied the claim, and the case is being remanded due to incomplete records and lack of specific denial rationale.

The Veteran's right elbow disability, including arthritis, has been rated at 10 percent since September 2005. The evidence does not show that his range of motion is limited to the extent required for a higher evaluation prior to May 31, 2006.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is necessary to determine whether the appellant was 'insane' as defined by VA regulations during his period of active service. The claim will be remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a vascular specialist examination.

The Board found that the Veteran's Chiari malformation is a congenital defect and was not aggravated during active military service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of an injury to the left mandible, including a dental disability and chronic skin rash. The Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection due to new and material evidence showing that his schizoaffective disorder, depressive type, is related to military service.