Tuberculosis decisions — 2006

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for COPD as secondary to his service-connected PTB and for an increased rating for PTB.

The Board found no evidence of active pulmonary tuberculosis in service or within three years following the veteran's discharge, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of death and denied entitlement to accrued benefits due to lack of evidence linking the veteran's death to his military service.

The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death, pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), was not incurred or aggravated during his military service and is not related to any condition for which he had established service connection. As a result, the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is denied.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for tuberculosis (TB) due to new and material evidence submitted since the December 1990 RO decision. However, the claim is denied as there is no persuasive and competent evidence that the veteran contracted TB during or after military service.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to a myocardial infarction, which was not caused by any incident of service. The veteran did not have tuberculosis while in recognized service or within the applicable presumptive period following his separation from service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete examination reports and unreviewed medical records.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability. The appellant has also failed to meet the criteria for accrued benefits.

The case is being returned to the RO for further development, including obtaining medical records from Dr. Maximo Reyes and providing proper notice regarding disability ratings and effective dates.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and unclear cause of death. The VA must obtain missing treatment records from Dr. Jose Y. Caylao, review certificates of death, provide a VA medical opinion on whether service-connected conditions caused or were related to the veteran's death, and then re-adjudicate the claim.

The Board denied the appellant's application to reopen her claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that the evidence received was not new and material.

The Board found that the veteran's pre-existing tuberculosis did not undergo a permanent increase in severity during service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found no evidence of asbestos exposure during service and denied the claim for service connection for asbestos lung disease as it is not related to the veteran's service or any incident therein.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for neuritis, chest and back pain was denied. The claim for a 30 percent rating for chronic bronchitis with history of tuberculosis infection with disease, inactive, was granted. The claim for a compensable disability rating for duodenal ulcer was denied.