Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2005

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, hypertension, and heart disease. The RO found that there was no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after service.

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

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further consideration due to his request for AOJ review of additional evidence.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his conditions are not presumed to be due to herbicide exposure, and he does not have a service-connected disability.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD remains pending as the Board has not made a final decision on this issue.,The veteran's claim to reopen his heart disorder, including paroxysmal atrial tachycardia (PAT), is now reopened based on new evidence submitted since the last denial.

The Board has determined that the veteran's coronary artery disease is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current cardiovascular disabilities are not related to her service-connected generalized anxiety disorder and therefore denied her claim for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied claims for DIC under both 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 and 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for arteriosclerotic heart disease and seborrheic dermatitis were denied. The RO assigned a 60 percent evaluation for ASHD effective from October 7, 2002.

The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death was cardiopulmonary collapse due to end stage cardiomyopathy and severe arteriosclerotic heart disease, with a significant contributory cause being cerebrovascular accident. Service connection for the cause of death is denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected PTSD.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current diagnoses of coronary artery disease or kidney condition, and thus his claims for service connection are denied.

The Board has determined that the appellant's heart disease, to include coronary artery disease, did not have its onset during service and is not related to any incident of service. As such, the claim for service connection for heart disease is denied.

The veteran requested to withdraw his appeal, and the Board has dismissed it.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further examination and evaluation, as there are conflicting medical opinions regarding whether the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus caused or aggravated his coronary artery disease.

The Board has determined that the veteran's currently-diagnosed cardiovascular disease is not related to his service-connected malaria.

The Board's March 24, 2005 decision denying service connection for diabetes mellitus and heart disease/hypertension was dismissed due to the withdrawal of a motion seeking CUE review.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 100% rating for asbestosis, finding that his service-connected asbestosis prior to July 23, 2001 was not more severely disabling than indicated by post-treatment pulmonary function test results.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication due to incomplete development of claims, including a need for VA compensation examinations, medical records from various providers, and clarification of the veteran's service connection claims.

The veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for financial assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing or home adaptation grant due to his current functional status and lack of permanent total disability.

The Board finds that the veteran's spouse was in need of regular aid and attendance due to her physical disabilities, including a stroke resulting in hemiparesis and wheelchair use. The claim is granted.