Real decisions, in plain English

The Veteran's prostate cancer and enhancing mass on the kidney are granted service connection due to exposure at Camp Lejeune. The claim for cysts on the liver is remanded.

prostate cancer · enhancing mass on the kidney · cysts on the liver

The Veteran's appeals for effective dates earlier than July 18, 2024, for the awards of service connection for tinnitus, tension headaches, and irritable bowel syndrome have been dismissed.

tinnitus · tension headaches · irritable bowel syndrome

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and increased rating for ischemic heart disease due to a failure by the AOJ to request SSA records, which were not available.

Ischemic heart disease

The Veteran's injuries and conditions are not service-connected due to lack of a nexus between his current condition and active duty.,Compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the injuries is denied.

digital nerve injury of right index finger · scar condition and fibrosis of skin to right forearm · scar condition and fibrosis of skin to right palm

The Veteran's overpayment of VA compensation benefits due to retroactive removal of additional dependent spouse benefits has been corrected, and the issue is dismissed as moot.

The Veteran's lung condition, including pneumonia residuals, COPD, and emphysema, is remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his military service. The appeal is reopened based on new evidence.

lung condition · pneumonia residuals · COPD · emphysema

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection for various conditions including hypoglycemia, sinusitis, left foot pes planus, right foot pes planus, right foot plantar fasciitis, left ankle pain, left hip osteoarthritis, left knee sprain, bradycardia, dry eye, hernia, hypercholesterolemia, and bilateral hearing loss.

hypoglycemia · sinusitis · left foot pes planus · right foot pes planus · right foot plantar fasciitis · left ankle pain · left hip osteoarthritis · left knee sprain · bradycardia · dry eye · hernia · hypercholesterolemia · bilateral hearing loss

The Board has decided that the Veteran's request for waiver of recovery of an overpayment of VA compensation benefits due to incarceration should be remanded for further action.

The Veteran's left and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy have been granted initial disability ratings of 40 percent each, effective from February 28, 2025.

Left Lower Extremity Sciatic Radiculopathy · Right Lower Extremity Sciatic Radiculopathy

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for aortic aneurysm secondary to his service-connected hypertension, squamous cell cancer of the skin, and benign prostatic hyperplasia. The issues of entitlement to compensable ratings for hypertension and colon cancer residuals are also remanded due to potential impact on the issue of a 10 percent evaluation based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities.

aortic aneurysm · squamous cell cancer of the skin · benign prostatic hyperplasia · hypertension · colon cancer residuals

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability does not meet or approximate criteria for a compensable (10%) disability rating at any point during the appeal period.

Left ear hearing loss

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's stroke and its residuals are related to his service in Southwest Asia, given the PACT Act provisions.

stroke · residuals thereof

The Veteran's cervical radiculopathy, right upper extremity, is rated at 40 percent and cannot be increased.,The Veteran's lumbosacral strain is rated at 10 percent and cannot be increased.,The Veteran's migraine headaches are already at the maximum schedular rating of 50%.

Cervical radiculopathy, right upper extremity · Lumbosacral strain · Migraine headaches

The Board granted entitlement to SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(t) effective January 21, 2019, based on the appellant's need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected TBI.

Traumatic Brain Injury

The Board denied service connection for treatment purposes only under Chapter 17 for various conditions, including cervical spine condition, right upper extremity nerve condition, left upper extremity nerve condition, headache condition, right wrist condition, left wrist condition, right elbow condition, left elbow condition, right shoulder condition, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), bilateral pes planus, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, and left knee disorder.

cervical spine condition · right upper extremity nerve condition · left upper extremity nerve condition · headache condition · right wrist condition · left wrist condition · right elbow condition · left elbow condition · right shoulder condition · obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) · bilateral pes planus · right ankle disorder · left ankle disorder · left knee disorder · lumbar spine disorder · facial scars or scarring · heart condition · hypertension (HTN)

The Veteran's service connection claims for lumbosacral strain, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and left hip strain as secondary to lumbosacral strain have been granted. The claim for left hip strain is remanded due to insufficient evidence on whether it was caused or aggravated by the service-connected lumbosacral strain.

lumbosacral strain · left lower extremity radiculopathy · right lower extremity radiculopathy · left hip strain

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral ankle disability as secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee and low back disabilities.

bilateral ankle disability

The Veteran's skin disability is remanded for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his condition, including whether it is related to service or toxic exposure risk activities. The Veteran also needs to provide authorization forms for private treatment records.

skin disability

The Veteran is seeking a remand for the AOJ to adjudicate his claim of CUE in the July 2009 rating decision that assigned a noncompensable disability rating for Bennett's fracture, right thumb.

Bennett's fracture, right thumb

The Veteran's hypertension, bilateral pes planus, PTSD, and anxiety were all denied as service connection was not established based on the evidence of record.,Bilateral pes planus was denied due to lack of current diagnosis.

hypertension · bilateral pes planus · posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) · anxiety