Tuberculosis decisions — 2017

The Board found no evidence of a chronic thoracic spine disorder, tuberculosis, or seizure disorder in service. The Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea but denied service connection for tuberculosis.

The Veteran's respiratory condition involving restrictive ventilatory dysfunction with reduced diffusion capacity, interstitial lung disease is due to service. Service connection for sleep apnea is denied.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for various respiratory and foot conditions, including residuals of pulmonary tuberculosis, scarring of lungs, aspergillosis, and pes planus. The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected pulmonary tuberculosis may have contributed to his cause of death, pneumonia. The Board finds there is medical evidence establishing a link between the Veteran's pulmonary tuberculosis and pneumonia, which was the primary cause of his death. Therefore, the appeal for service connection for the cause of death is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a respiratory examination. The issues of entitlement to an increased rating for bronchial asthma and individual unemployability are also pending.

The Board finds that the Veteran's cause of death, an abdominal aortic aneurysm due to diffuse cardiovascular disease (for 20 years), was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected pleural tuberculosis. The VA medical opinions provided strong evidence against this theory.

The VA denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his respiratory disability, finding that his FEV-1 and DLCO did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran did not serve during a period of war, and therefore is not eligible for nonservice-connected death pension benefits.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings were denied as there was no evidence of a compensable manifestation of coronary artery disease or tuberculosis prior to December 14, 2009. The Board found that the earliest date upon which VA had constructive possession of evidence showing the Veteran's CAD had manifested to a compensable degree is December 14, 2009.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal in September 2016, and the Board has dismissed the case as a result.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the reopening of a claim for service connection for tuberculosis. As such, the Board dismisses this issue.

The Veteran's asthma with inactive pulmonary tuberculosis, far advanced was evaluated at a 30 percent rating prior to August 26, 2015.,Starting from August 26, 2015, the Veteran's service-connected asthma with inactive pulmonary tuberculosis was rated at 60 percent.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for pulmonary tuberculosis and pneumonia are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service-connected disabilities, including pulmonary tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction. The issues include seeking increased disability ratings for these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for tuberculosis, hepatitis, and sinusitis due to lack of service connection. The heart murmur claim was granted but later severed due to clear and unmistakable error. The Veteran's inguinal hernia and hemorrhoids were not rated as compensable.

The Veteran's lung disability, including TB, is being remanded for further development and an examination to determine its etiology. The appeal will be returned to the Board after additional development.

The Board has determined that the service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to the Veteran's death. The respiratory failure and pneumonia that caused his death were not related to service, while the service-connected conditions (cervical spine limitation of motion, left shoulder condition from a gunshot wound, PTSD) are not considered contributory causes of death.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as his substantive appeal was not timely filed with respect to the December 2007 rating decision.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for residuals of inactive tuberculosis requires additional development, including a new examination and consideration of outstanding VA treatment records.