Epilepsy & seizure disorders decisions — 2001

The veteran is seeking to establish a 100 percent schedular rating for his service-connected conversion reaction with hyperkinetic seizures and paranoid features from March 1, 1986. The Board found that the November 1985 reduction of the veteran's 100 percent schedular rating was clearly and unmistakably erroneous.

The Board has dismissed the veteran's claim of entitlement to an effective date prior to May 27, 1993 for service connection for a seizure disorder due to the doctrine of res judicata.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's seizure disorder, finding that it existed prior to service and was not aggravated by military service.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for a seizure disorder, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted.

The Board found that the veteran's seizure disorder or head condition is not related to medication prescribed at a VA outpatient clinic and granted his claim.

The veteran's claim to exclude $861 for a recliner chair as an unreimbursed medical expense is denied because the evidence does not support that the purchase was for medical purposes.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for restoration of a 100% rating for idiopathic epilepsy from January 1, 1999 to November 30, 2000 and reduced his rating to 80%. The evidence showed improvement in seizure frequency.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for headaches, blackouts, memory loss, poor vision, and a seizure disorder. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been presented to reopen claims of entitlement to service connection for other conditions is pending.

The Board found that the veteran did not have a seizure disorder or schizophrenia during service and denied his claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's brain cyst and partial complex seizure disorder are service-connected, resulting from shell fragment wounds sustained during World War II.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not permanently and totally preclude him from engaging in substantially gainful employment, as his combined disability rating is 30 percent.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, finding that his seizures were not related to his military service and did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.

The Board denied reopening the veteran's claim for service connection of a head disorder, including personality disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, headaches, residuals of head injury, and/or seizure disorder. The new evidence submitted since September 1998 is not considered material to reopen the claim.

The Board determined that the veteran's seizure disorder existed prior to service and did not worsen during active duty, thus denying service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's discharge under other than honorable conditions did not constitute a bar to VA benefits, as his period of absence without official leave (AWOL) was less than 180 days and considered to be due to compelling circumstances.