Rheumatoid arthritis decisions — 2008

The Board found that the veteran does not have rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, or rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the likely etiology of his hepatitis C and any secondary service connection claims.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding his ability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted a higher initial disability rating of 40 percent for seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, effective as of April 1, 1999.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims due to insufficient information regarding his in-country service in Vietnam. The case will be reviewed again after additional research is conducted.

The Board denied service connection for a chronic right ankle disability and did not reopen the previously denied claim of rheumatoid arthritis.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions are not related to her active service and have denied all of her claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination and obtaining National Guard records. The veteran's claim will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Board found that the veteran's rheumatoid arthritis did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher initial evaluation in excess of 20 percent, as it has neither been productive of three or more incapacitating exacerbations per year nor definite impairment of health objectively supported by examination findings; and is not compensable due to limited motion of the right shoulder, right elbow, or spine.

The Board finds that service connection for bilateral hearing loss is warranted. Service connection for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis of the cervical spine is denied as there is no evidence showing a current disability or association with service.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development, including a medical opinion regarding whether the veteran's rheumatoid arthritis was totally incapacitating prior to February 25, 1997.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board found that there is no evidence to support the veteran's claims for service connection for tuberculosis and rheumatoid arthritis, as neither condition developed in service or is otherwise causally related to service.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an effective date prior to November 22, 2005 for grant of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) pursuant to 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 due to a lack of evidence showing she filed a claim before that date.

The Board has granted service connection for Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, finding that the veteran's condition is related to his active military service and supported by evidence of herbicide exposure in Korea during the Vietnam era.

The Board has determined that the evidence does not support a higher evaluation for service-connected rheumatoid arthritis, as there is no current active process or chronic residuals of rheumatoid arthritis. The veteran's symptoms are attributed to osteoarthritis rather than rheumatoid arthritis.

The VA determined that the appellant does not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for aid and attendance or being housebound due to her conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current rheumatoid arthritis is of service origin and grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for emergency treatment at Massena Memorial Hospital on December 23, 2005 are denied as he is covered by Medicare and thus ineligible for VA reimbursement.

The Board has ordered the RO to obtain service treatment records from the veteran's first period of active duty (1978-1982) and verify his periods of active duty for training and inactive duty for training. The RO is also requested to seek treatment records from Reality Healthcare, specifically from 1996 to 2004.