Tuberculosis decisions — 2007

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions of pulmonary tuberculosis, hearing loss, kidney disease, poor vision, and asthma were not incurred or aggravated during service. The claims are denied.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a lung disability, including pulmonary tuberculosis and bronchial asthma. However, dysentery, malnutrition to include optic atrophy, pellagra, peripheral neuropathy, and peptic ulcer disease are not currently shown or presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Board has determined that there is sufficient evidence to grant service connection for a lung condition manifested by shortness of breath, as due to an undiagnosed illness. The other claims have been denied.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to insufficient evidence linking the cause of death to military service. The Court has ordered remand to address issues related to duty to assist and consideration of relevant legal precedents.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his arrhythmia, ischemic cardiomyopathy, intestinal obstruction secondary to chronic carcinoma, chronic carcinoma, and chronic renal insufficiency were not related to his service-connected PTB.

The Board denied the appellant's request to reopen her claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The appellant is not in need of regular aid and attendance or permanently housebound due to her disabilities, as she can perform daily activities independently.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service connection for pulmonary tuberculosis is warranted, and he is granted service connection. The claim for a fractured rib was not addressed in this decision.

The Board denied service connection for heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, PTB, and peptic ulcer disease on the merits. The veteran died in May 2004 with hypostatic pneumonia as the immediate cause of death.

The Board denied service connection for tuberculosis, concluding that the veteran had residual conditions of the disease but no active or current infiltrates. The Board found that the pre-existing condition at entry into service was not aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination, including obtaining medical records from a VA Medical Center in New Orleans and scheduling the veteran for VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed low back disorder and tuberculosis.

The veteran's service-connected pulmonary tuberculosis is shown to have been etiologically related to the cause of his death from non-small cell lung cancer. As such, service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is granted.

The veteran's claim for service connection for tuberculosis was denied in previous rating decisions. His anxiety disorder is currently rated at 50 percent disabling.

The veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and he did not meet the basic eligibility requirements for nonservice-connected death pension benefits. The appellant's claim for accrued benefits is denied as it was filed more than one year after the veteran's death.

The Board denied service connection for chronic respiratory disability and residuals of lead poisoning due to asbestos exposure in service.

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for the veteran's service-connected pulmonary tuberculosis, effective from the date of the May 2003 rating decision.

The veteran's claims for service connection for a left ankle disorder and tuberculosis were previously denied in September 1974. New evidence submitted since that time does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Board found that the appellant does not have coronary artery disease (claimed as heart disease) related to his military service or his service-connected pulmonary tuberculosis. The claim for an increased rating for pulmonary tuberculosis was also denied.

The veteran's service-connected pulmonary tuberculosis is inactive and does not cause any impairment of daily functioning. His current disability rating for the condition remains at 10 percent.