Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2004

The Board denied entitlement to special monthly pension based on the need for aid and attendance of another person, as well as at the housebound rate. The appellant's disabilities do not meet the criteria for these benefits.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease of both lower extremities, and a TDIU. The effective date for the grant of service connection for type II diabetes mellitus was set at May 8, 2001.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for heart disease, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, degenerative joint disease (arthritis) of multiple joints, and skin disease. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. The decision found that there was no evidence linking any of these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his anxiety neurosis did not cause or contribute to his death and that there was no evidence linking his heart conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims to reopen her service connection claims for urticaria, retinal detachment, right Bartholin abscess, uterine dysfunction with bleeding and uterine myoma, hypertensive heart disease, residuals of thyroidectomy, anasarca, and cervical radiculopathy have been denied because she has not submitted new and material evidence to reopen the claims.

The veteran's appeal regarding his service-connected coronary artery disease has been denied. The RO did not grant any increased ratings for the period from August 1, 1994 to January 1, 2002.

The Board has ordered the VA to obtain and review the veteran's service records, including those from his period of active duty for training in the Marine Corps Reserve. The specialist will then determine if hypertension began during or was aggravated by a period of active service.

The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death (heart disease, inferior myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease) was not related to his service-connected conditions. The Board concluded that the veteran's anxiety disorder did not contribute to his death.

The veteran's death was caused by a non-service-connected heart disorder, but the service-connected low back disorder contributed to his health and made him less capable of resisting the effects of the primary cause of death. The Board found that the service-connected condition materially contributed to the veteran's death.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his arteriosclerotic heart disease and anxiety reaction, as well as his claim for a total rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disability. The veteran was granted service connection for an anxiety reaction secondary to his heart condition in December 2002.

The Board denied the claim to reopen the cause of death due to service connection, finding no new and material evidence.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed heart conditions, including functional heart murmur, arteriosclerotic heart disease status post coronary bypass, silent heart attacks, arrhythmias, and transient ischemic attacks, all of which were attributed to exposure to ionizing radiation during service. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant did not timely file a substantive appeal regarding his claims for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, and emphysema. The VA medical records did not provide sufficient evidence to support these claims.

The Board denied service connection for peptic ulcer disease and beriberi heart disease, finding no evidence of in-service injury or illness that could be linked to the current conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further review and medical opinions regarding whether VA's treatment of the veteran during his hospitalization in December 2000 caused or accelerated his death from coronary artery disease.

The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred from January 7-10, 2001 was denied because the services were not provided in a VA facility and no VA facilities were feasibly available to provide care. The cardiovascular condition was not service-connected at the time of hospitalization.

The Board found that the cause of death, myocardial infarction leading to cardiomyopathy, was not related to service-connected conditions and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's claims for increased PTSD disability rating and service connection for coronary artery disease are being remanded to the RO for additional development, including a VA examination.