Parkinson's disease decisions — 2004

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to procedural errors and insufficient evidence.

The Board found that the veteran's cause of death (cerebrovascular accident) was not caused by a service-connected disability, and denied dependent's educational benefits under Chapter 35. The VA medical records did not provide evidence linking any of the veteran's conditions to his military service.

The veteran's service-connected muscular atrophy of both hands contributed to his death, which was caused by aspiration. The medical evidence supports the conclusion that this disability substantially or materially contributed to cause and hasten the veteran's death.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and for legal entitlement to nonservice-connected death pension benefits and accrued benefits.,There is no evidence linking the cause of death (hypostatic pneumonia) to service or any disease incurred in service.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development and consideration of the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

The Board previously denied the veteran's claim of service connection for supraventricular tachycardia and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions and to attempt to obtain the veteran's complete service medical records from his ACDUTRA service.

The Board has granted service connection for Parkinson's disease as secondary to the veteran's service-connected gastrointestinal disorder, finding that the evidence is in equipoise and resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for additional medical opinions regarding the veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that further development of the evidence is necessary in order to make a decision on the veteran's claim for service connection for Parkinson's disease.