Other conditions decisions — 2022

The appeal for service connection of a skin condition, including due to herbicide exposure and/or water contaminants at Camp Lejeune, has been dismissed as the appellant died before her appeal could be adjudicated.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for Chiari malformation due to inadequate medical opinion regarding its etiology and preexistence during service.

The Board has ordered remand for further development regarding the Veteran's service connection claims, specifically focusing on whether his alcohol use disorder and liver disability are secondary to a service-connected condition.

The Board denied service connection for right eye vision loss as there is no current diagnosis of such condition and the Veteran does not have a history of right eye symptoms.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for chronic left Achilles tendonitis and entitlement to TDIU due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the service-connected conditions. The case will be referred to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information and records, specifically a VA Form 21-8940 and Social Security Administration (SSA) records. The Veteran is asked to complete these forms and provide additional details about his employment and educational background.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address a new theory of entitlement raised by the Veteran's service representative, including whether his service-connected alcohol-use disorder and PTSD may have contributed to his pancreatic cancer or IPMN. The case will be remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding whether the Veteran's dental disorder, including gingivitis and loss of teeth diagnosed in 2020, was incurred or caused by service. The Veteran will need to provide additional medical records and a new opinion from a clinician.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's vision deterioration disability. The Veteran contends that his left eye deterioration was caused by stress in service and provided lay statements about chronicity of symptoms from separation to diagnosis.

The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for failed stent procedure performed on May 18, 2015, requiring subsequent surgery and for staph aureus infection resulting from the same procedure due to a lack of evidence showing that VA's care caused additional disability.

The Veteran did not serve during a period of war, so he does not qualify for survivor's pension benefits.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's skin condition and esophageal condition, claimed as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), must be remanded for further development of the record.

The Veteran's medical expenses incurred on November 8, 2014, at Fairview Hospital and by Cleveland Emergency Medical Service are granted as the treatment was in a medical emergency of such nature that delay would have been hazardous to life or health.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an addendum medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cardiovascular disorder, including carotid stenosis, subclavian arterial stenosis, cardiovascular disease, and right bundle branch block is caused or aggravated by his service-connected hypertension.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for atrial fibrillation, including as due to exposure to herbicide agents and as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and sleep apnea.