Other conditions Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for further development to ensure compliance with the VCAA and VA regulations, including providing notice on how to substantiate the DIC claim under the current version of 38 C.F.R. § 3.22.

The Board has granted the veteran's request to reopen his claim of entitlement to compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151(a) for right bunionectomy and correction of hammertoe, second toe.

The veteran's application for enrollment in the VA healthcare system was denied because his completed application was received after January 17, 2003, and he is a nonservice-connected veteran.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic lung disorder related to service, including exposure to toxic gas. The veteran's current lung condition is not linked to his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting osteomyelitis of the right tibia was aggravated by service, but not incurred in or caused by service. The claim is granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of aphakia of the right eye must be denied as there is no evidence showing the veteran intended to reopen his claim prior to January 25, 2005.

The veteran's Chapter 30 educational benefits are granted for the portion of his firefighter training with the Rochester, Minnesota Fire Department from May 19, 2005 to March 10, 2007.

The Board is remanding the case to determine if any of the veteran's current right elbow disabilities, including degenerative joint disease, are related to his service-connected surgery for cellulitis.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of myasthenia gravis, finding that no valid claim was filed prior to May 19, 2005.

The Board has determined that the veteran's stasis ulcers and numbness of the right leg are not related to his service-connected coronary artery disease, status post-coronary artery bypass grafting with hypertension.

The veteran's costochondritis, a condition not well suited to any of the schedular rating criteria due to its similarity to heart attack symptoms and lack of in-service trauma or physical damage, causes frequent chest pain attacks that interfere with employment and require hospitalization. The Board has remanded this case for consideration of an extraschedular evaluation.

The Board has restored the veteran's entitlement to a 100 percent schedular rating for structural brain changes, effective from December 9, 1962.

The Board denied service connection for a skin disorder and respiratory problems claimed as due to undiagnosed illnesses. The RO found no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to the veteran's military service.

The veteran's claims for increased disability ratings were denied because he failed to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause shown.

The veteran's TDIU claim is granted with an effective date of May 2, 2001, based on his service-connected disabilities.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the appellant requested to withdraw his appeal prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board found that the veteran's cataracts were not present until many years after separation from service and were not caused by exposure to ionizing radiation in service. The peripheral vascular disease with deep venous thrombosis was not listed as a presumptive disorder under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309 or as a radiogenic disorder under § 3.311.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings for TMJ dysfunction and joint laxity of the base of the thumbs, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The veteran's initial ratings for cold injury residuals of both lower extremities were granted and assigned.,For the period prior to April 11, 2001, the left and right lower extremity disabilities each received a 20 percent rating. For the period beginning on or after April 11, 2001, the left and right lower extremities both received a 30 percent rating.

The Board found that the reduction of the veteran's prostate cancer rating from 100% to 60% was proper, and the requirements for restoration have not been met. The reduction of his special monthly compensation rate for prostate adenocarcinoma and proliferative diabetic retinopathy from 100% to 50% or more was also found to be proper.