Sarcoidosis decisions — 2020

The Board has decided that SMC due to the need for Aid and Attendance is granted. The claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD, depressive disorder, and vascular neurocognitive disorder) is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The right knee bursitis and bilateral tinnitus cases are denied, while the other issues on appeal remain pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's current conditions are related to his in-service head injuries. Additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and a new medical opinion, is required.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with the exception of his right knee condition and left lower extremity neurological condition.,Further, the Veteran’s claim for sarcoidosis has also been granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, eczema/sarcoidosis of the skin, a lumbar spine condition, and a pulmonary condition due to outstanding medical records and need for further examination.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus was granted service connection. The issues of service connection for a heart condition and sarcoidosis are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran is entitled to an effective date of August 28, 2017 for a 30 percent disability evaluation for bilateral sarcoidosis.

The Board denied service connection for granulomatous disease/sarcoidosis, but remanded the claim for diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure.,Further development is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides in Korea.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected cerebral sarcoidosis with partial seizures and arthralgia, due to post-service weight gain/obesity attributable to the service-connected condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to comply with VA's duty to assist in obtaining private medical records. The Veteran needs to provide releases for relevant treatment records from private practitioners, including those from Philadelphia and George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him in need of the regular aid and attendance of another person, warranting special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's current skin condition is related to his military service and/or secondary to his service-connected disabilities, including his sarcoidosis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, which is related to his service-connected disabilities (migraines, sarcoidosis, chronic adjustment disorder), has been remanded due to the need for a new VA medical opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for sarcoidosis, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during his military service.

The Board denied service connection for pulmonary sarcoidosis, right middle finger disorder, and right index finger disorder as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that could be linked to these conditions.,There is insufficient competent medical evidence to establish a link between the Veteran's current diagnoses and her active service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for eosinophilic granuloma of lung with sarcoidosis is remanded due to a duty to assist error. A VA examination is needed to assess the current severity of his condition.