Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have recognized active military service for the purpose of obtaining the one-time payment from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a brain tumor due to Agent Orange exposure, residuals of a left arm/shoulder disability, and TDIU are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's gout has been rated at 20 percent since March 17, 2009. The Board finds that the evidence supports this rating as there is one or two exacerbations a year in a well-established diagnosis.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU was denied by the Board, and this decision is final.

The Board found no current lung disability and concluded that the Veteran's claimed lung disability is not related to his active service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board cannot proceed with the merits of this claim as he is no longer alive.

The Board found that the current stomach disease was not incurred in or aggravated by service and could not be presumed based on the one-year presumption for a chronic disease. The Veteran's claim of service connection for peptic ulcer disease was denied.

The Board has reopened the claim of entitlement to recognition as the surviving spouse of the Veteran and granted it, based on new evidence that supports a valid common law marriage.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's claimed bilateral foot and toenail disorder, as there is no post-service medical evidence showing such a condition. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's feet were normal with no residuals from the reported injuries during service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), claimed as stroke, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a neck injury is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claim for service connection for dizziness, including addressing whether it is at least as likely as not caused or permanently worsened by his service-connected disabilities. The case will be remanded for further action.

The Board has granted a separate initial 10 percent rating for each of the Veteran's corns of the bilateral fifth toes, effective July 28, 2004.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left leg condition, which includes a status post hematoma and skin grafting, is secondary to his service-connected right ankle disability. The decision grants the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board denied an increased compensable evaluation for a service-connected pterygium of the left eye, finding that the Veteran's disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable schedular criteria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings and TDIU, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 20 percent or entitlement to TDIU.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected right foot disability does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent, as it did not meet the criteria for more severe or pronounced conditions such as flatfoot, claw foot, mal-union or nonunion of tarsal/metatarsal bones.

The Veteran's anteflexion of the left ear with closure of the ear canal is currently rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board finds that a 30 percent rating is warranted for this condition, effective January 31, 2005.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the appellant's claim for DIC benefits, as her previous claims were denied due to insufficient marriage duration. The appeal is considered 'mixed' because some issues may be granted while others are not.

The Board denied service connection for a dental disability, finding no evidence of missing teeth during service and no link to Agent Orange exposure. The Veteran's current condition is not compensable under VA compensation criteria.