Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has determined that the appellant's other than honorable discharge due to willful and persistent misconduct is a bar to VA compensation benefits, except for health care benefits.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed left foot disorder, including gout and arthritis, was not incurred in service and may not be presumed. Similarly, arthritis of multiple joints was also not incurred in service and may not be presumed.

The Board has granted initial ratings of 10 percent for patellofemoral syndrome with degenerative joint disease and Osgood-Schlatter's disease in both the right and left knees, effective from the date of the June 1994 rating decision.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for a further waiver of recovery of an overpayment of VA educational assistance under Chapter 30, Title 38, United States Code (Montgomery GI Bill).

The veteran's service-connected bilateral osteitis pubis is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that a higher evaluation is not warranted.

The Board found that the veteran's pre-existing gunshot wound to the chest and arm did not increase in severity during service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a medical examination to determine if VA's care or treatment was at fault in causing the veteran's left eye disorder.

The VA denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for postoperative residuals of acromioclavicular separation of the right shoulder, as the veteran's current range of motion is within the criteria for a 20 percent rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a chronic disorder manifested by blurred vision that was caused by a disease or injury incurred in and/or aggravated by active service. The preponderance of evidence is against the claim.

The Board denied service connection for a left eye disorder and tinnitus, finding that the pre-existing left eye amblyopia did not increase in severity during service and was not otherwise related to any incident of service. The veteran's current bilateral cataracts are not of service origin.

The Board has granted a rating of 20 percent for residuals of post-operative right hernia repair, effective from March 26, 2001. The veteran's service-connected right and left inguinal hernias have necessitated multiple surgical repairs, resulting in significant industrial impairment.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bursitis of the left hip in November 1983, and new evidence received since then does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing VCAA notice.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals at the RO level.

The Board found that there is an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence suggesting a connection between the veteran's in-service chronic sinusitis and his death from metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by a service-connected disability. The Board found no evidence linking the cause of his death, liver cancer, to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions, blood clots in the lungs and legs and bilateral hip disorder, were not incurred or aggravated by service and are not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability. As such, these claims have been denied.

The Board finds that the veteran's blindness in the left eye was not caused by VA negligence or carelessness, and thus does not meet the criteria for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for death pension benefits as she did not meet the required marriage duration and other criteria to be considered a surviving spouse.

The veteran's service was outside the established period of war, and thus he does not meet the basic criteria for wartime service required for VA pension benefits.