Other conditions decisions — 2001

The Board denied the appellant's request for waiver of recovery of an overpayment of VA improved death pension benefits in the amount of $13,406.00 due to her misrepresentation of a material fact.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a back injury and granted it on the merits.

The veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical services rendered in a private hospitalization is denied because he did not meet the legal criteria for authorization and there was no service-connected condition involved.

The Board denied service connection for recurrent perirectal abscesses and determined that the effective date for VA pension benefits should not be earlier than August 28, 1991.

The veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for a comprehensive VA examination and additional development of his service-connected disabilities, including any potential claims for service connection. The RO must also obtain information about SSA disability benefits if applicable.

The Board determined that the initial ratings assigned for the veteran's hip and chest conditions were proper, with no need to grant higher evaluations.

The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death, a myocardial infarction, was caused by the left knee surgery performed at the VAMC in April 1999 and was not reasonably foreseeable. Therefore, DIC benefits under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. ¶ 1151 are granted.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral patellofemoral pain syndrome disability is manifested by slight right and left knee impairment, with subjective complaints of left and right knee pain. The RO has granted a 10 percent evaluation for each knee.

The appeal has been dismissed as the appellant withdrew their appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for prolapse of the fourth finger of his right hand and an increased rating for residuals of fracture of the same hand. The issues were related to whether the current conditions are related to incidents in service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current right arm disability is not related to service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for a sinus disorder due to lack of new and material evidence. The veteran's appeal was dismissed.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected residuals of a gunshot wound to the left arm, with damage to Muscle Group V, do not warrant an increased rating beyond the current 20 percent evaluation.

The Board granted service connection for the veteran's left calcaneal spur with associated Achilles tenosynovitis and duodenal ulcer disease, effective from July 8, 1977, and September 2, 1977 respectively. The veteran's original claims were denied in March 1978 due to incomplete service medical records.

The VA denied an increased rating for the appellant's service-connected residuals of right rib injuries, including reflex sympathetic dystrophy, as they do not warrant a higher than currently assigned 20 percent disability rating.