Other conditions decisions — 2020

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a dental injury to his face and mouth, finding that there is no current diagnosis or treatment related to this condition.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for survivor pension with aid and attendance benefits due to her failure to submit requested information regarding her income and assets, preventing the determination of whether she meets the income-eligibility test.

The Veteran's application for nonservice-connected pension benefits was denied because he was incarcerated during the appeal period, which precludes payment of such benefits.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of March 25, 2017 for his grant of a total rating for individual unemployability (TDIU) because it was not factually ascertainable that his service-connected disabilities increased in severity so as to be productive of unemployability during the one-year period prior to his claim.

The Board has decided that the VA payment or reimbursement claim cannot be processed due to missing documentation. The case is being sent back for the AOJ to reconstruct and upload all relevant records.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing documentation related to the claim for payment of or reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Lakeland Regional Medical Center on January 25, 2013. The AOJ is required to reconstruct the record and upload all relevant documents.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, penile cancer, and pulmonary fibrosis due to the appellant's death.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability of the face, back, and legs, finding that it arose during or as a result of his active military service.

The Veteran's stomach condition, diagnosed as gastritis, had its onset during his active duty military service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for nuclear sclerosis, macular drusen, cornea degeneration arcus senilis, hordeolum internum and cataracts due to in-service exposure to sunlight, UV rays, and/or dry, dusty conditions while serving in Southwest Asia. The preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that these vision disabilities were related to service.

The Veteran's cause of death was esophageal cancer, but the Board found no evidence to support service connection for this condition. The esophageal cancer is not listed as a presumptive disease associated with herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request for a waiver of overpayment debt, finding that his application was timely filed due to VA's failure to provide proper notice regarding the time limit to file a waiver. The appeal is remanded for an audit of the overpayment amount and for the COWC to adjudicate the issue on its merits.

The Board has denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's right middle finger disability, finding that the condition is rated at its maximum schedular rating due to painful motion and no indication of ankylosis or amputation.

The Veteran's appeal for an effective date prior to April 3, 2015, for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits was denied as the Veteran did not meet the criteria for basic eligibility due to lack of a permanent total service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing documentation related to the annual clothing allowance for the 2016 calendar year. The AOJ is instructed to reconstruct the record and upload all relevant documents.