Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's left shoulder disability warrants a 40 percent evaluation for limitation of motion, which is the maximum available under Diagnostic Code 5201. The scar associated with the fracture does not meet criteria for an additional rating.

The Board has granted a 20 percent evaluation for the veteran's spondylolysis of the lower back, effective from September 22, 2007. The veteran was previously rated at 10 percent prior to this date.

The Board found that the veteran's alcohol dependence is not related to his service-connected PTSD and denied the claim.

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for a leg disorder, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Board denied the veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for an eye disorder, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted. The case also addressed a CUE claim regarding the July 23, 1947 rating decision denying service connection for keratoconus.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed residuals of head trauma are not related to his active service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as the surviving spouse of the veteran, finding that she was not party to a deemed-valid marriage with him at the time of his death.

The veteran's cause of death was due to oropharynx cancer, which is not service-connected. The Board found that the cancer did not arise from his military service and there was no evidence linking it to any service-connected condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for keratoconus in October 1986, and this decision is not considered to have been made with clear and unmistakable error.

The Board has found no evidence to support the veteran's claim for service connection for a prostate condition, including loss of use of a creative organ. The veteran's current medical records do not indicate he currently suffers from this condition.

The veteran's venereal warts do not meet the criteria for a higher initial compensable disability rating as they do not involve at least 5 percent, but less than 20 percent, of the entire body or exposed areas affected, and no more than topical therapy is required during the past 12-month period.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his shrapnel wounds of the right thigh and abdomen, finding that the scars were nonadherent and painless with no functional impairment.

The Board found that the overpayment debt of $1,128.00 was not properly created due to a delay in processing the veteran's updated status of dependents form and decided that the veteran does not owe this money.

The Board found that the veteran's left knee disability, diagnosed as posttraumatic arthritis, did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher initial disability rating than 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for adding his stepson as a dependent, finding that the evidence was not submitted within one year of the RO's request in May 1998.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development of the record, including obtaining VA treatment records and an orthopedic examination.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for congestive heart failure and a bowel disorder, finding no current diagnosed conditions or evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right index finger and thumb disabilities, when considered together, warrant a single 30 percent rating based on favorable ankylosis in both joints.

The Board found that the veteran did not have a current eye disorder and there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease. Therefore, service connection for a bilateral eye disorder is denied.

The veteran's claim for an effective date prior to October 31, 2003 for the grant of service connection for urethral stricture with chronic dysuria and chronic prostatitis is being remanded due to a potential issue of clear and unmistakable error in the previous denial of his original application.