Other conditions Board decisions

The Board found that the appellant did not have valid military service and therefore is not eligible for VA disability benefits.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left leg disabilities and TDIU, finding that he did not meet the percentage criteria under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a) and that his service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found that the appellant and the veteran were both previously married, which invalidated their claimed common law marriage. Therefore, the appellant is not entitled to VA benefits as a surviving spouse.

The veteran's urticaria is rated at 60 percent, effective March 23, 2004. The issue of service connection for loss of teeth remains pending as the RO has not yet issued a statement of the case.

The veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for residuals of a fracture of the left zygomatic arch is granted, with a rating of 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the veteran's retroperitoneal fibrosis is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of leg and foot pain, and scheduling another psychiatric examination. The veteran's claims will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral foot condition is not related to his service and denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected cervical spine disability was granted, with the effective date being May 25, 2004.

The Board has determined that the veteran's postoperative ulcerative colitis does not meet the criteria for a higher rating than 30 percent, as there is no evidence of severe impairment with numerous attacks and malnutrition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and he did not have qualifying military service for non-service-connected pension benefits. Therefore, his claim for both cause of death service connection and death pension eligibility is denied.

The veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 1, 2005 for additional disability compensation for a dependent spouse was denied as the evidence of dependency arose on November 1963 and the earliest effective date is March 1, 2005.

The veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected squamous cell carcinoma of the left hand and ear, as well as precancerous actinic keratosis of the skin, is being remanded due to insufficient development. The case will be returned to the Board after further examination and consideration.

The Board dismissed the motion for revision of the March 1970 rating decision on the basis of clear and unmistakable error. The case is remanded to determine an appropriate effective date for the grant of service connection for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

The veteran was granted service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia with an effective date of August 17, 2001.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a skin condition, conjunctivitis, and residuals of cranial trauma as secondary to service-connected arteriosclerotic heart disease (ASHD). The reasons given were that there was no evidence of current disabilities or a continuity of symptoms since service.

The Board denied service connection for multiple system disease due to immune deficiency as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the veteran's condition and his military service.

The Board found that the veteran does not have additional right hip disabilities as a result of VA medical treatment, but is at least in equipoise on whether he has an additional psychiatric disability proximately caused by VA surgical treatment during hospitalization from January to March 1998.

The Board found that the cause of death was not related to service or any service-connected condition. The VA treatment received by the veteran did not cause his death, and there is no evidence of negligence on the part of VA in providing medical care.

The VA Regional Office denied the appellant's request to increase her monthly apportionment amount above $625 of the veteran's VA disability compensation benefits on behalf of herself and their three children. The case is being remanded for further action.