Parkinson's disease decisions — 2009

The Board found that there was no evidence of VA carelessness, negligence or lack of proper skill in prescribing Haldol to the Veteran. The cause of death was determined to be multi-system failure with Parkinson's disease as an underlying cause.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the appellant's claim for service connection for Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome with diastolic heart murmur and mitral valve prolapse, which was previously denied in August 1990 due to a finding of pre-existing condition.

The Board denied claims for service connection for diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and a disability manifested by open sores on the left leg due to lack of current diagnoses.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD and Parkinson's disease are related to service, with PTSD being linked to a verified in-service stressor and Parkinson's disease potentially linked to herbicide exposure. Service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development to determine if the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities contributed to his fatal pneumonia, which was listed as bilateral pneumonia due to cerebrovascular disease.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for Parkinson's disease and granted it, finding that new and material evidence supports a link between the Veteran's military service and exposure to Agent Orange, which is presumed for Vietnam-era veterans. The Veteran's Parkinson's disease is therefore considered incurred in service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination. The Veteran's claim of service connection for Parkinson's disease remains under review.

The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that medications prescribed for his service-connected PTSD aggravated his fatal dementia and Parkinson's disease.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for Parkinson's disease was denied because the evidence did not show that his condition was incurred in or aggravated by active military service, nor could it be presumed to have been so incurred.

The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The appeal is remanded for the Veteran to be scheduled for an in-person hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the Portland, Oregon RO.

The Board denied the Veteran's petitions to reopen previously denied claims of entitlement to service connection for Parkinson's disease and hypertension, including as secondary to Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral defective hearing rated at 90%, Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WSW) rated at 30%, and tinnitus rated at 10%, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for Parkinson's disease as it was not etiologically linked to the Veteran's military service or any incident therein.

The appeal is remanded to the RO for additional development as per a Joint Motion for Remand from the Court.