Other conditions Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 is denied as the evidence does not show that VA carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault caused his osteoporosis and fractures of both feet.

The Board has determined that the criteria for an effective date of October 13, 2005, for the award of a compensable rating for the Veteran's service-connected chin laceration scar have been met. The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date is granted.

The Board has determined that there is no legal basis to award an effective date earlier than September 1, 2006 for the award of additional pension benefits for a dependent spouse. The claim must be denied.

The Board has granted a 60 percent rating for gout, the maximum available under VA's rating criteria.

The appellant's claim for recognition as the Veteran's surviving spouse has been denied due to a disagreement over living together continuously from the date of their marriage until his death. The case is being remanded for further action.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed deranged disc at C5-6 with bilateral C6 nerve root impingement is associated with his service-connected left shoulder tendonitis and grants service connection for this condition as secondary to his left shoulder disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for dermatofibromas, compound nevi and actinic keratosis is being remanded due to the need for additional development including a VA examination.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claim of service connection for a low back disability and found that new evidence received since the last denial raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. The case is now remanded to obtain additional medical records, including VA treatment records from March 2010, and to schedule the Veteran for an examination to determine if his current low back condition is related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are rated at 30 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks due to memory loss. The claim for TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left breast disorder, including residuals of a biopsy during her military service, is remanded due to the need for further development and medical opinion.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, as well as a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected herpes progenitalis.

The Veteran's chronic colitis had its onset during active military service, and the Board finds that he is entitled to service connection for his condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for competency determination should be remanded due to new evidence and additional development needed.

The Board has determined that the effective date for service connection of residuals of a neurilemmoma of the left foot, due to aggravation of a pre-existing condition, is August 1, 2006.

The Board has remanded the claim due to a lack of terminal hospital records from the Veteran's last known treatment, Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The appellant is seeking service connection for the cause of her husband's death.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial rating for Frey's syndrome is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for his service-connected spondylolysis at L5 is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional development.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation of his residuals of a compression fracture of the left thorax has been dismissed as he withdrew all matters pending appeal.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and found that new and material evidence was submitted. However, it denied the underlying claim as there is no evidence linking cholangiocarcinoma to service or any known risk factors.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the initial compensable rating for status post fracture of the right fifth distal interphalangeal joint with fixed deformity.