Tuberculosis decisions — 2007

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability or his active military service.

The veteran's service-connected status post-miliary tuberculosis with restrictive airway disease is currently rated at 30 percent prior to January 25, 2006 and the appeal for a higher rating is granted.

The Board denied reopening the claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and bronchiectasis, finding no evidence to support higher evaluations based on the schedular criteria as in effect from September 26, 2003.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for inactive tuberculosis, pulmonary with chronic obstructive disease is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and a new VA examination.

The veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and a compensable rating for inactive pulmonary tuberculosis were denied as there was no legal basis to award such dates or ratings.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for tuberculosis, chloracne, skin cancer of the left face, and a sinus disorder due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were related to his military service or exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the previously denied claim for service connection for a back condition. The claims for PTSD, heart condition, paranoia and a delusional disorder, chronic skin condition, and pulmonary tuberculosis were also denied.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's death to service, and thus denied service connection for the cause of his death.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional VA medical records and further development of the claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of pulmonary tuberculosis, right knee and ankle disorder as secondary to a service-connected shrapnel wound injury, and hearing loss. The denial was based on lack of new and material evidence for PTB and insufficient medical evidence linking the current conditions to service.

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim of service connection for pulmonary tuberculosis, finding that new and material evidence had not been received.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for cause of death due to asthmatic pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and found that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the July 2003 rating decision. The veteran died from asthmatic PTB, which had been diagnosed many decades after his separation from service.

The Board found no evidence of a current respiratory disability, including tuberculosis or reactive airway disease, that is related to service. The veteran's claims for these conditions were denied.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected pulmonary tuberculosis did not cause his death, and concluded that chronic renal failure was the primary cause of death. The Board found no evidence linking the cause of death to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for chronic residuals of tuberculosis and a chronic skin disability, finding that there was no evidence of current disability or in-service disease.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected inactive tuberculosis did not cause or contribute to his death from cardiorespiratory arrest, diabetes mellitus, and laryngeal carcinoma. The preponderance of evidence is against a finding of service connection for the cause of death.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have tuberculosis and denied his claim for service connection. The issue of eye disability is also addressed in a separate remand.

The veteran's case is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing due to the veteran's request and the representative's action. The issues of service connection for peripheral vascular claudication secondary to traumatic arthritis, and entitlement to a compensable disability rating for pulmonary tuberculosis are pending.