Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2005

The Board denied service connection for psychiatric disability, residuals of cholesterolemia, hearing loss, heart disease, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), corneal embolism, and hernia. The evidence did not show a relationship between these conditions and military service.

The Board denied an effective date prior to June 11, 1996 for the grant of service connection for ASHD with hypertension due to it being received after that date.

The Board found that the severance of service connection for diabetes mellitus and arteriosclerotic heart disease with hypertension was proper, and restoration of those grants of service connection is not warranted.

The Board found that the veteran's current heart disease does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent, as his symptoms are due to nonservice-connected cardiac disorders.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to a lung disorder that developed many years after service and was not caused by any incident of service. The established service-connected conditions did not play any role in his death.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for heart disease, psychiatric disorder, and seizure disorder. The evidence did not establish a direct link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease and emphysema, finding that the veteran's nicotine dependence in service contributed to his development of these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected hypertension and hypertensive heart disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on current blood pressure readings.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating of his service-connected anxiety reaction with PTSD was granted, and he is now rated at 30 percent prior to May 22, 2000. Service connection has also been established for heart disorder with hypertension as secondary to the service-connected anxiety reaction with PTSD, and gastroesophageal reflux disease with dyspepsia as secondary to the service-connected anxiety reaction with PTSD.

The veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and left hip are not service-connected. However, his atherosclerotic heart disease to include hypertension is considered incurred in service.

The veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease and right bundle branch block are rated at 30 percent, while his service-connected chronic bronchial asthma is rated at 60 percent. The decision grants increased ratings for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed stomach disorder (ulcer) and heart disorder were not incurred or aggravated during active service, and therefore denied his claims for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's coronary artery disease is not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected melioidosis.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for heart disease, and thus grants this aspect of his appeal.

The Board has determined that the veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease did not originate during his Reserve duty in March 2001, and thus service connection is denied.

The veteran's cause of death, cardiac arrest due to acute myocardial infarction with coronary artery disease, is not service-connected. The appellant's claim for accrued benefits was also denied.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected schizophrenia did not contribute substantially or materially to his death from Staphylococcus aureus sepsis. The medical evidence does not support a direct causal relationship between the veteran's schizophrenia and his cause of death.

The Board denied the appellant's application to reopen her claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that the additional evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board finds that the appellant's heart disorder did not originate during any period of active duty for training or inactive duty training, and thus denied service connection.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, thus denying his claim for a TDIU.