Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2003

The Board has ordered further development due to pending evidence and procedural issues. The case will be returned for additional development at the RO level.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for the veteran's hypertensive heart disease with a history of hypertension, based on symptoms such as dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness or syncope at workloads greater than 5 METs but not greater than 7 METs.

The Board has ordered further development due to the need for additional evidence. The case will be returned to the RO for this purpose.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected coronary artery disease, status-post coronary artery bypass grafts with a history of hypertension.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including an eye disorder, heart condition, gastrointestinal disorder, skin disorder, psychiatric disorder, and anemia, are denied as the evidence does not support a finding of service connection under the provisions of law.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's hypertension and coronary artery disease are proximately due to and the results of disability incurred in active military service, specifically nicotine addiction which began during service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death from acute myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 100% rating for his service-connected ischemic heart disease with hypertension, status post coronary artery bypass graft was granted. The effective date is set at June 27, 2000, the day he was hospitalized by VA.

The Board is unable to make a decision on the veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disorder due to incomplete evidence. The case has been remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and Dr. Weldon's records, as well as determine the nature and etiology of the veteran's current heart disorder.

The veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the appellant did not meet the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 or 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The Board is remanding the case to determine if the veteran's heart disability was aggravated by military service or developed during the presumptive period after separation from service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and colitis as these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by service. The claim for encephalomalacia was previously denied due to lack of evidence supporting its relationship to service.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary and the case is being remanded to the RO for further action.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for a back disability, right shoulder disability, residuals of dental trauma, and prostate disorder due to exposure to Agent Orange. The claim of service connection for peripheral neuropathy remains denied as no new evidence was submitted that would warrant reopening.

The Board has restored service connection for arterial hypertension, arteriosclerotic heart disease, and old myocardial infarction as the October 1987 RO decision granting service connection was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous.

The Board found that there was no additional disability of the heart as a result of surgery and follow-up care performed at a VA facility in November 1995, and thus denied the veteran's claim.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a pulmonary disability and found that new and material evidence supports this claim. The veteran's heart disease is also considered secondary to asbestos exposure.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his cardiovascular disability records and a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the appellant's hypertension and coronary artery disease are secondary to his service-connected prostate cancer, with hypertension being aggravated by treatment for prostate cancer over and above its pre-existing degree.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for Service Disabled Veterans' Insurance (RH) under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1922(a) due to his nonservice-connected cervical disc disease and coronary artery disease, which exceeded the required 'good health' criteria.