Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2007

The Board is requesting additional information to determine if the veteran was exposed to Agent Orange during his service in Korea, which could affect his claims for secondary service connection.

The Board finds that the veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection and disability rating is denied due to lack of entitlement under the law. The earliest possible effective date for the grant of service connection for a lumbar spine disability is February 28, 2005.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the service connection claims related to right hip disability resulting in hip replacement, residuals of foot surgery, and a heart disease including hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding that none of them were incurred or aggravated by active military service and not related to herbicide exposure.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death from congestive heart failure. The claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the claims for service connection for COPD and valvular heart disease can be decided.

The Board has determined that service connection is warranted for coronary artery disease, which the examiner opined was not caused by or a result of diabetes mellitus but could be aggravated by it.

The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized private medical expenses incurred on March 21, 2005 was denied because the services were not for a service-connected disability and there were no feasible VA facilities available.

The Board has determined that the veteran's heart condition, including coronary artery disease, is attributable to his service. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board denied the reopening of the claims for service connection for hypertension and heart disease, finding that the new evidence was cumulative and not sufficient to raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed disabilities are not related to his service and have denied all of his claims.

The veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues related to service connection and rating of disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus type II, erectile dysfunction, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, right lower extremity, peripheral vascular disease, left lower extremity, increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, and initial compensable rating for erectile dysfunction.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disability and chronic residuals of pneumonia, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his active service.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and hypertension with coronary artery disease as secondary to PTSD due to insufficient evidence of an in-service stressor. The veteran's claims were not supported by credible supporting evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected rheumatic heart disease did not cause or contribute to his death from an acute myocardial infarction. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for the cause of death.

The veteran's cardiovascular condition, including coronary artery disease, hypertensive heart disease, and cardiomyopathy is denied as there is no indication that any of these conditions resulted from VA treatment.

The veteran's coronary artery disease with angina status post stenting is not considered to be caused by VA care, and therefore compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for this condition is denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a heart condition and post-traumatic stress disorder, finding that there is no evidence of any current heart disability or functional impairment related to service.

The veteran's appeals for service connection and evaluations related to his gunshot wound and heart disease were denied due to lack of legal entitlement. The Board found no basis for higher ratings or earlier effective dates.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to care for his daily needs without requiring the aid and attendance of another person, nor do they substantially confine him to his home or immediate premises.