Parkinson's disease decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange while stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia. The Veteran asserts he was exposed during his Signal Corps Officer Basic Course and other training activities.

The Board has granted service connection for left eye blindness and Parkinson's disease, among other conditions. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection for the remaining listed conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's attempts to reopen his claims for service connection for Parkinson’s disease, pneumothorax with chest pain, and mouth and lip injury due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development and evaluation, including Parkinson's Disease, TBI residuals, skin disability, hypertension, OSA, an acquired psychiatric disorder, vertigo, and TDIU. The Veteran’s claims are inextricably intertwined with the issue of service connection for Parkinson's Disease.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death prior to a final decision. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and Parkinson’s Disease due to a lack of an examination to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's cause of death was congestive heart failure. The Board finds that the Appellant’s accrued benefits claim is inextricably intertwined with the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death and thus, a remand is required to adjudicate both claims.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease and Parkinson’s disease are granted service connection based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his time in Vietnam. The cause of death is also found to be related to these conditions, leading to a grant for burial benefits.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for essential tremors and Parkinson's disease, which he claims are related to his herbicide exposure during service. The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an opinion linking the conditions to service.

The claim to reopen the service connection for COD due to herbicide exposure is denied. The claim to reopen the service connection for COD under 38 C.F.R. § 1151 is remanded.

The Veteran's Parkinson's disease is related to in-service herbicide exposure and service connection has been granted.

The Veteran's Parkinson’s disease and associated complications were granted service connection effective July 31, 2019. The Board denied earlier effective dates for the awards.,The Veteran was not diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease until January 30, 2017, which is after August 31, 2010 when it became a presumptive herbicide-related disease.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and special monthly compensation were dismissed as the Appellant requested withdrawal of all appeals before the Board.

The Veteran's service-connected Parkinson’s disease and its associated disabilities, including tremor of the right upper extremity, bradykinesia of the left and right lower extremities, loss of sense of smell, ED, loss of automatic facial movements, and speech changes, have been granted effective May 5, 2016.

The Board has granted service connection for coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease, finding that the Veteran set foot in Vietnam during his military service. As a result, these conditions are presumed to be related to herbicide exposure.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims of service connection for Parkinson's disease, cerebrovascular disease with associated stroke, and Lewy body dementia due to the death of the Veteran.

The Veteran's Parkinson's disease claim is remanded due to uncertainty in the extent of his exposure to ionizing radiation during service. The case will be further developed under VA regulations and a dose estimate will be prepared by the VA Under Secretary for Health.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II and Parkinson's Disease were not incurred or aggravated during his active service. The evidence does not support a finding of herbicide exposure in Okinawa, Japan, where he served. As such, the claims for service connection are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for Parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease due to exposure to Agent Orange, finding that the preponderance of evidence shows these conditions are related to service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for Parkinson's disease due to new and material evidence, but has remanded it for further action regarding exposure to herbicides in service.