Other conditions Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for an educational benefit payment rate of greater than $483.75 per month between January 22, 2007 and September 2, 2007 is denied as the preponderance of evidence supports a lower rate.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected residuals of fractured fourth and fifth fingers of the left hand was granted, with a 10 percent disability rating effective July 19, 2008.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Allegiance Emergency Care on September 27, 2008 are denied as he was not enrolled in the VA health care system and had not received VA medical services within the 24-month period prior to this incident.

The Board has ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to obtain and associate with the claims file copies of all outstanding records related to the matter on appeal as held by the VA Debt Management Center, including a copy of any notice letter sent on December 21, 2007, to the appellant concerning the amount of any overpayment incurred and his right to request a waiver. If such a letter is not available, then a certification from the DMC indicating the date of the demand letter, which contained the appellant's notice of appellate rights, as well as when and where it was sent and whether it was returned as undeliverable, should be obtained and associated with the claims file.

The Veteran's orchialgia of the right testicle due to epididymal cyst is now rated at 10 percent, effective from December 30, 1999. Service connection for schizoaffective disorder was granted effective February 7, 2002.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a one-time payment from the FVEC due to lack of qualifying service.

The Veteran's right thumb disability has been rated at 30 percent since April 13, 2010. The rating is based on moderate incomplete paralysis of the dominant hand.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for panic disorder was granted by the RO in a November 2010 rating decision, and the appeal is dismissed as there are no remaining issues to be reviewed.

The Board found that the Veteran's left eye disability was not incurred or aggravated by service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's boils on the buttocks disability requires constant or near-constant systemic medications such as doxycycline to prevent flare-ups, and he is currently rated at the maximum 60 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 7822.

The Board finds that the Veteran's fungal condition of the feet had its onset during active service and grants service connection for this disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected left knee disabilities do not meet the criteria for a temporary total disability rating based on hospitalization or convalescence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral leg and hip disabilities was denied in January 2003. He reopened his claim on April 29, 2005, and the RO granted service connection for Madelung disease (lipomatosis) with a rating of 60 percent effective from April 29, 2005.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for an initial compensable rating for right ear drum perforation as there is no legal basis for the benefit sought.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain missing service treatment records and to schedule the appellant for a VA examination. The claims will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and determined that new and material evidence has been submitted. The Veteran is now entitled to a determination on the merits of his claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's esophageal cancer was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's eustachian tube dysfunction of the right ear is manifested by daily pain and build-up of pressure requiring performance of the valsalva maneuver several times a day, with a scarred, flaccid, severely retracted tympanic membrane and history of prior perforation and fluid in the ear. Placement of a ventilating tube in the tympanic membrane has been clinically suggested.

The Veteran's claims for higher evaluations of chronic reflux and right foot bunion, as well as service connection for varicose veins and a dental disability, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for chronic reflux or a compensable evaluation for a right foot bunion.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for pancreatitis, which he claims is secondary to his service-connected knee disabilities. The case must be remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and a medical opinion regarding whether the medication used for his service-connected conditions caused or aggravated his pancreatitis.