Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2004

The veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional evidence. The issues include reopening of claims for peptic ulcer disease and dysentery, as well as seeking service connection for ischemic heart disease/myocardial infarction, beriberi, malnutrition, PTSD, and malaria.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to the intertwined issues of entitlement to an extension of educational assistance under Chapter 30 and Chapter 31, Title 38 United States Code based on serious employment handicap due to service-connected disabilities. The VBA AMC must adjudicate these issues and provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.

The Board found that the veteran's death was due to diabetes and its complications, including renal failure and coronary artery disease. These conditions were not caused by service-connected residuals of a pleural cavity injury.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims to reopen his service connection for headaches and a heart disability manifested by an abnormal electrocardiogram, finding that no new and material evidence was submitted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions, including benign prostatic hyperplasia, defective vision (cataracts and glaucoma), cardiovascular disability, and arthritis, were not incurred or aggravated during his active military service. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, choledochocystolithiasis, arthritis, a kidney disorder, and poor vision for accrued benefits purposes.,The claim for service connection for pulmonary tuberculosis was previously denied in 1967 but reopened with new evidence showing the condition was incurred within three years of service.

The veteran's claim for compensation benefits under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 is being remanded due to unresolved issues and a need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical opinions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, a rating in excess of 30 percent for hypertensive heart disease, a compensable original disability rating for bilateral hearing loss, and an original disability rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus. The appeals were based on direct service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected PTSD aggravated his atherosclerotic heart disease, which ultimately caused his death. The appellant's claim for service connection for cause of death was granted.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of November 13, 1997 for the assignment of a 100 percent rating for service-connected ischemic heart disease as a residual of beriberi was denied.

The veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease and hypertension as secondary to his service-connected type II diabetes mellitus is being remanded due to the need for additional development under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.

The Board found that there is no probative medical evidence of a left knee disorder, arthritis of the hands, PTSD, heart disorder to include breathing problems, or hypertension in service. Therefore, the veteran's claims for these conditions were denied.

The veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease and hypertension have been reopened, but the claim for a rating in excess of 60 percent for hepatitis C remains unresolved. The decision is mixed as some issues were granted while others remain pending.

The veteran seeks service connection for hypertension and coronary artery disease, status post myocardial infarction. The Board has decided to remand the case for further development.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at the highest possible evaluation (100%) due to total occupational and social impairment, but his arteriosclerotic heart disease and hypertension are not service-connected.

The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death (ventricular fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease) was not caused or substantially contributed to by any service-connected condition.

The veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease is found to be secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. The veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, currently meets the criteria for a 40 percent evaluation.

The Board denied the veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection for a heart disorder and otitis media, as well as his petition for an increased evaluation for residuals of right mandible fracture. The evidence received since the January 1965 rating decision did not constitute new and material evidence. The failure to report for a VA examination in connection with the claim for an increased evaluation for residuals of right mandible fracture resulted in denial.

The Board has found new and material evidence to reopen the claim of service connection for coronary artery disease. The veteran's private cardiologist provided a statement suggesting that his heart attacks during service may have led to his current condition, which is now shown by medical records to be coronary artery disease. However, no direct link between service and the current condition has been established.

The veteran's multiple chronic conditions, including coronary artery disease and generalized anxiety disorder, prevent him from dressing, attending to his wants of nature, and protecting himself from daily hazards. He is not blind or helpless, nor does he require the regular aid and attendance of another person due to being housebound.