Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2000

The veteran's claim for automobile and adaptive equipment or for adaptive equipment only was denied as he did not meet the legal criteria for eligibility.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his pneumonia in service to his later cardiovascular and respiratory conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating of PTSD and service connection for a heart condition as secondary to his PTSD. The heart condition claim was found not well-grounded, while the PTSD claim had no evidence supporting a higher rating.

The Board found that the veteran's heart disease had its onset during active service and granted his claim for service connection.

The veteran's coronary artery disease with hypertension, status post coronary artery bypass graft, is currently rated at 60 percent disabling. His major depressive disorder is rated at 10 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is well grounded. The veteran died from coronary artery occlusive disease due to post-gastrectomy syndrome, which was related to his service-connected gastrectomy with dumping syndrome.

The Board finds that the veteran's claim for hypertension is well-grounded on the basis of mild hypertension at discharge and current diagnosis. The claims for service connection for heart disease, to include swelling of the feet, as secondary to hypertension are deferred pending further development.

The Board found that the submitted evidence was not new and material, thus denying the reopening of the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for heart disease as there was no evidence of a current disability resulting from service-incurred hypertension.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claim and found new and material evidence, but the claim remains not well grounded as there is no medical evidence linking any of the diagnosed heart problems to military service or previously service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's heart disease and degenerative changes of the cervical spine are secondary to his service-connected pulmonary tuberculosis. The claim for an increased rating for pulmonary tuberculosis is granted.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his arteriosclerotic heart disease and a total rating based on individual unemployability are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examination.

The Board found that the veteran's valvular heart disease did not warrant a rating in excess of the current 10 percent evaluation, as there were no significant residuals of the condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's heart disability, which is secondary to his service-connected bronchial asthma, was incurred during active military service and granted accrued benefits for this condition. The total disability rating due to individual unemployability resulting from service-connected disabilities was also granted.

The veteran's service-connected rheumatic heart disease and coronary artery/heart disease with stable angina and hypertension do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the veteran's claim of service connection for heart disease, hypertension, mitral valve prolapse, mitral regurgitation, supraventricular arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), atrial fibrillation, left ventricular hypertrophy, systolic heart murmur, and cardiomegaly was not well-grounded due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board found that the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is not well-grounded and denied it.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of exposure to non-ionizing radiation and flatfeet as the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and service, including exposure to radiation.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected hypertensive and arteriosclerotic heart disease with unstable angina and a history of old myocardial infarction, as well as his residuals of a mandible fracture. The hypertension was rated at 30 percent disabling.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and heart disease, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted in both cases.