Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2003

The Board found that the veteran's heart condition was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and denied his claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease, finding that it was not incurred during military service or manifest within a year thereafter and is not due to his service-connected anxiety disorder with tension headaches.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for rheumatic heart disease is being remanded due to the need for additional development and consideration of new evidence.

The Board finds that the veteran's diagnosed circulatory disorders, including hypertension, atherosclerotic heart disease, residuals of a cerebro-vascular accident (CVA), and carotid and peripheral vascular disease are related to his active service.

The Board found that none of the service-connected conditions contributed substantially or materially to cause the veteran's death. The cause of death was listed as respiratory failure.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service department records and VA medical records. The veteran's heart disability is alleged to be due to a failure by the VA facility to diagnose and treat it from July 1994 to May 1996.

The Board is remanding the case to the RO for scheduling a videoconference hearing at the RO, after which it will be returned to the Board.

The Board has determined that the veteran's digestive, kidney, cardiovascular, and prostate disorders are not related to his military service or exposure to ionizing radiation during service. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a current cardiovascular disability and that there is no competent medical evidence of a nexus between his present disabilities and service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The VA found that the service-connected conditions did not meet the criteria for higher ratings or a TDIU.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current gastrointestinal disorder was incurred in service, and thus grants service connection for this condition. The heart disorder issue will be addressed in a separate remand.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD or right ear hearing loss disability, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied. The veteran's coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus are also denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed disabilities were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may they be presumed to have been so incurred. The appeals for these conditions are denied.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for additional development due to new VA medical records, and the veteran's claim of restoration of a 100 percent disability rating for arteriosclerotic heart disease is currently rated at 60 percent.

The Board has decided that service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease should be granted, but only in part as it is aggravated by a service-connected anxiety disorder and/or treatment for dermatophytosis and tinea cruris. The case is being remanded to consider whether additional evidence supports the claim.

The veteran's claims for an increased rating for arteriosclerotic heart disease with arterio-hypertension and for TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause his death, as there was no evidence linking any of his service-connected disabilities to the cause of death.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death and eligibility for Survivors'/Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code.

The veteran's heart disease, rated at 100%, and his other disabilities (cerebrovascular accident with right-sided weakness) independently rated at 60% combined, meet the criteria for special monthly pension on account of being housebound.