Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2002

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including hypertension and a heart condition, bilateral hearing loss, left hand condition, disability manifested by knots on the arms, left inguinal hernia, and dental condition.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims of service connection for high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease have been denied as there is no competent evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran's arthritis of the elbows was not granted service connection. However, his degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine with sciatica and rheumatic heart disease were granted service connection, along with noncompensable initial ratings for his shoulders.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death and for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance or by reason of being housebound. The underlying disease process that led to her husband's death was not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for coronary artery disease; status post coronary artery bypass surgery. The claim is now considered on its merits.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to June 27, 1995, for the grant of service connection and a 60 percent evaluation for ischemic heart disease.

The Board has determined that the veteran's heart disability was aggravated during his active duty for training in October 1996, and thus service connection is granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease, finding that there was no evidence linking it to a disease or injury in service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his military service and denied all of his claims.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of lung and heart disorders due to lack of timely perfection. The appeal remains pending for service connection of depression.

The veteran's service-connected heart disease does not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound, nor does he qualify for specially adapted housing or a home adaptation grant due to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has determined that the veteran was unemployable as of July 3, 1996 and awarded TDIU benefits effective from that date. The effective date is set at July 3, 1996.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disability did not cause his death from a myocardial infarction, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board has restored a 60% evaluation for the veteran's coronary artery disease with hypertension and hyperlipidemia effective July 1, 2001. The claim was previously rated at 30%. The decision also addressed an issue of restoring this rating.

The Board found that the veteran's rheumatic heart disease preexisted service and did not increase in severity during service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease is currently rated at a 60 percent evaluation, effective from June 26, 1995.

The veteran's PTSD symptoms prior to May 9, 1997 were mild, not requiring continuous medication and did not result in significant impairment of social or industrial functioning.,Coronary artery disease is not considered proximately due to or the result of service-connected PTSD.

The veteran's heart condition is not found to be due to treatment during a period of VA hospitalization from August 9 to 16, 1996. The residuals of right shoulder dislocation with carpal tunnel syndrome and C8-T1 radiculopathy are currently rated as 10 percent.

The Board determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death. The causes of death were found to be cardiac arrest, coronary heart disease, and renal failure.

The Board found that the veteran does not have hypertension, heart disability, circulatory disability or any residuals of a cold injury that are the result of disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by active duty.