Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2002

The Board found that the veteran's coronary artery disease and hypertension were not incurred or aggravated during service, as there was no valid medical evidence supporting this claim. The submission of false records by the veteran reduced their credibility.

The Board found that the appellant's heart disease, including myocardial infarction with coronary artery bypass grafts and chest pain; postoperative residuals of a colon disorder, including diverticulitis; and hemorrhoids and rectal bleeding resulting from January-February 1989 VA abdominal surgeries are not causally or etiologically related to the surgeries in question.

The Board found that the veteran's coronary artery disease and hypertension were not incurred or aggravated by wartime service, may not be presumed to have been due to service-connected PTSD, and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that the conditions implicated in the veteran's death were not incurred or aggravated by service.

The veteran's hypertension with abnormal EKG and tortuosity of the thoracic aorta, with exertional angina and coronary artery disease is currently rated at 60 percent disabling.,There is no evidence of active malaria in the current record. The veteran's malaria claim is denied.

The Board does not have jurisdiction to review the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, low back disability and neck disability, or the ratings assigned to the service-connected residuals of a left elbow fracture and irritable bowel syndrome.

The RO denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities, as they determined he was not unemployable.

The Board found that the veteran's fatal cardiovascular conditions were not due to service or a service-connected disability, and denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, DIC, and death pension benefits due to lack of evidence linking his atherosclerotic heart disease or PTB to his military service. The cause of death was attributed to atherosclerotic heart disease.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and coronary artery disease, secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The evidence does not establish a direct or presumptive relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's fatal cardiovascular diseases were not due to service or any other event in service, and denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected conditions, including above-the-knee amputation of the right lower extremity and coronary artery bypass graft with hypertension, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The combined disability rating is 80 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability and denied his claim for nonservice-connected death pension benefits due to lack of qualifying service.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) has determined that the veteran's death was not caused by a disability incurred or aggravated during his military service, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute substantially to his death, which was caused by arteriosclerotic heart disease.

The Board has denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death due to a lack of evidence showing that any service-connected disability contributed substantially and materially to the veteran's death.

The Board has granted a 100 percent evaluation for PTSD and found that an increased evaluation of 20 percent for the duodenal ulcer is warranted. The veteran's service connection claims for vision disorder, heart disease, and new evidence-based reopening are pending.

The Board found that the causes of the veteran's death were not related to his service-connected disabilities, and thus denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of death.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and postoperative residuals of coronary artery disease, finding that additional evidence may be relevant to these issues. The case is returned to the RO for further development.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, to include hypertension, and granted it. The issues of service connection for other conditions are also addressed.