Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2005

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied, and the RO granted higher ratings for mechanical low back pain. The veteran does not have current hypertension or heart disease, and his high cholesterol is not a compensable disability. His pes planus was noted at entry but did not worsen during service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not currently have a heart murmur, and thus service connection for this condition is denied. The claims of entitlement to service connection for coronary artery disease with history of bypass and back pain are addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension, coronary artery disease, and gastritis are not related to service or a service-connected disability. The VA examiner indicated that these conditions were more likely due to other risk factors such as age, gender, family history, nicotine dependence, and hyperlipidemia.

The Board has granted a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD as of March 3, 2005, and has found service connection for organic heart disease secondary to PTSD. The veteran's PTSD is currently manifested by occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as panic attacks, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing effective work and social relationships, and intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for respiratory disorder, heart disability, bilateral knee spurring, bilateral foot spurs, lumbosacral strain, and bilateral shoulder degenerative changes as service connection is not established.,However, the Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee spurring, bilateral foot spurs, lumbosacral strain, and bilateral shoulder degenerative changes.

The Board found that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection, but ultimately denied the claim as there was no medical evidence linking the current heart problems to service or any inservice aggravation of a pre-existing condition.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The veteran's death was caused by coronary artery disease, which is not service-connected. The appellant's claim for accrued benefits based on the veteran's October 2001 claim for an increased rating cannot be granted as there is no evidence that his schizophrenia contributed to cause his death.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by VA negligence or fault in providing medical care, and thus denied the claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for heart disease due to new and material evidence submitted by the veteran. However, the preponderance of the evidence is against a finding that the current heart problems are causally related to his active service.

The Board denied service connection for heart disease and emphysema, both secondary to service-connected pulmonary tuberculosis.

The Board denied service connection for somnambulism and hypertension, finding no new and material evidence to reopen these claims. Service connection for CAD was also not granted as there is no medical evidence linking the condition to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and coronary artery disease were not incurred or aggravated by service. The evidence does not support a finding of presumptive service connection due to exposure to Agent Orange or other specified conditions.

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for heart disease and bypass surgery at Winchester Medical Center are reimbursed as the treatment was rendered due to an emergent condition related to a service-connected disability, and VA facilities were not feasibly available.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions, including pneumonia (pleurisy), asthma, osteoarthritis of multiple joints, and heart disorder (hypertensive vascular disease) are presumed to have originated during his service due to exposure to tuberculosis. The veteran did not provide sufficient evidence to establish direct service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension, heart disease, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and sinusitis. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to his military service or any other basis.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and requests for additional information from various sources.

The Board has granted service connection for heart disease on a secondary basis, as it is at least as likely as not related to the veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder. The rating for post-operative residuals of a laceration to the left median nerve remains at 20 percent. A compensable rating (10%) was granted for anxiety reaction from August 30, 2002, to February 23, 2005. However, the veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10% for anxiety reaction is denied.

The veteran's claims are being remanded for further development, including a medical examination to assess the impact of his disabilities on employment and to determine if they are related to service.

The veteran's main contention is that his disabilities are causally related to herbicide exposure or other contamination during service. The case is being remanded for further development, including obtaining the veteran's service personnel records and attempting to verify any allegations of herbicide exposure at Anderson Air Force Base in Guam.