Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2005

The Board found that the veteran's coronary artery disease and hypertension were not incurred in or aggravated during active service, and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service. The medical evidence did not show a relationship between these conditions and herbicide exposure.

The Board finds that the veteran's ischemic cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease, which caused his death, are presumed to have resulted from his POW experience during active military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease, status post myocardial infarction, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability related to his military service.

The Board granted an effective date of March 24, 1994 for the award of dependency and indemnity compensation benefits based on a liberalizing regulation that allowed earlier entitlement. The appellant's claim was reopened due to new evidence submitted after the change in the law.

The Board found no competent medical evidence linking any claimed conditions to service, resulting in denial of all service connection claims.

The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that the veteran's heart disease and hypertension are causally related to his active service, including as secondary to his service-connected pulmonary tuberculosis. The claim for a compensable evaluation for pulmonary tuberculosis is also denied.

The Board denied the appellant's claim of entitlement to DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151, finding that VA did not fail to diagnose or treat a pre-existing condition in a timely manner and that the veteran's death was not due to carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance or fault on the part of VA.

The Board found that the veteran's valvular heart disease was not incurred or aggravated during active service and denied both his claim for service connection and his nonservice-connected pension benefits.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for coronary artery disease, status post myocardial infarction and granted service connection for hypertension. The claims for chest pain disability, back disability, glaucoma, and rheumatoid arthritis are denied.

The veteran's claims are being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to address the relationship between his dental condition and other disabilities such as esophagitis, depression, and heart disease.

The Board denied service connection for a heart disorder as a result of exposure to herbicides and/or nerve gas, finding no evidence of such a condition in the veteran's medical records or during his military service. The claim for PTSD was not addressed due to pending issues.

The veteran's initial evaluation for coronary artery disease was granted at 30 percent effective November 29, 2002. The rating was later reduced to 30 percent effective April 7, 2003.

The Board found no current medical evidence of a heart disorder, headaches, dizziness with fainting, or back disorder. Therefore, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for rheumatic heart disease due to new and material evidence, but a VA examination is needed before deciding on the merits.

The Board denied service connection for a heart condition and an eye disability, finding no current evidence of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his period of service and thus denied all claims for service connection.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease with atrial fibrillation and amputation of the left thigh, have resulted in a level of incapacity consistent with loss of use of his right foot. The Board has determined that he is entitled to special monthly compensation based on loss of use of the right foot.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating and service connection was denied. The effective date of his TDIU is fixed at February 6, 2001.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for psoriasis, hypertension, and heart disease as secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The evidence did not show that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active military service.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete medical records and conflicting opinions regarding the veteran's diabetes mellitus.