Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2005

The Board denied the claims of service connection for lung, heart, blood, brain and right eye disorders, all claimed as secondary to exposure to mustard gas in service.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected coronary artery disease is being remanded due to procedural issues and the need for further development, including a supplemental QTC examination.

The veteran's claimed conditions were not incurred or aggravated by his active service, including exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current conditions to his period of service, resulting in denial of all claims.

The veteran's claims have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for coronary artery disease, but finds that additional development is necessary to determine its etiology.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of February 20, 2002 for a 60 percent rating for ischemic heart disease and a TDIU.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and a heart disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his valvular heart disease, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation from June 8, 1955 to June 14, 1999 and for an evaluation in excess of 30 percent since October 22, 2000.

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by his service-connected disabilities, including ischemic heart disease and post-traumatic encephalopathy.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to conflicting opinions from VA medical staff regarding the relationship between the veteran's vascular disorders and his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151, finding that the veteran's death was not due to additional disability resulting from VA treatment.

The veteran's combined rating was only 40 percent, and he had not been rated as 100 percent disabling during the entire ten years preceding his death. The claim for DIC based on hypothetical entitlement is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for heart disability, peripheral neuropathy, elbow disorder, and right hip disorder. The Board found no current evidence of these conditions and concluded that they were not related to military service or herbicide exposure.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to incomplete development and the need for a new VA cardiovascular examination. The case will be reconsidered with consideration of all applicable criteria.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion on whether any currently diagnosed heart disorders are related to service.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension and coronary artery disease are not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected PTSD. The claim for a higher rating for PTSD was denied.

The Board granted a 100 percent rating for arteriosclerotic heart disease status post questionable anterior infarction effective November 1, 2001.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his evaluations of coronary artery disease and TDIU, finding that no evidence prior to the specified dates constituted an intent to file a claim.

The veteran died from heart disease, which was not related to his service-connected anxiety reaction. The Board found that the cause of death was not caused or contributed substantially by a service-connected disability.