Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2008

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection are denied as there is no evidence to support a finding of an in-service event, injury, or illness that would be etiologically related to his current conditions.

The veteran's coronary artery disease, resulting from treatment for his service-connected thyroid disability, is granted. His service-connected post-operative partial thyroidectomy with thyroid replacement and exothalmia is rated at 100 percent.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have current diagnoses of coronary artery disease or hypercholesterolemia, and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's rheumatic heart disease does not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent, as there is no evidence of significant impairment from this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to additional evidence submitted by the appellant, and the claim for service connection for COPD, arteriosclerotic heart disease, and hypertensive vascular disease will be reconsidered.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current right knee sprain, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are not related to his military service. The claim for residuals of a right knee injury is denied as there is no evidence linking it to an in-service injury. The claim for hypertension is also denied because there is no evidence showing it was incurred during service or within one year after discharge. The claim for coronary artery disease secondary to hypertension is not supported by the available medical records.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions are not service-connected based on direct evidence and there is no credible evidence of in-service injury or disease. The skin rash claim lacks sufficient supporting medical evidence.

The veteran is entitled to payment or reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Manatee Memorial Hospital from January 17, 2001 to June 29, 2002 due to the severity of his symptoms and the lack of feasibly available VA facilities.

The Board has granted service connection for tachycardia and assigned a 10 percent disability rating, effective May 1, 2004. The heart disability other than tachycardia is not considered incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has granted service connection for atherosclerotic/arteriosclerotic heart disease, finding it was caused by the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus. However, service connection for congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy is denied as there is no evidence of a relationship to the veteran's service or his service-connected diabetes.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection of a heart disability and determined that new evidence supports this reopening. However, it was not able to establish a direct link between his service or any pre-existing condition and his current heart condition.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for esophageal disorder, hypertension, chronic heart disorder, and peripheral neuropathy as there is no evidence of a current disability related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for seizure disorder, chronic low back disorder, heart condition, and ulcerative colitis due to insufficient evidence linking these conditions to the veteran's time in service.

The Board found that the veteran's heart condition is not related to his service-connected PTSD, and thus denied the claim for secondary service connection.

The veteran's right knee disorder was increased to 30 percent effective December 19, 2006. A separate 30 percent evaluation for instability of the right knee is also granted from that date.,Service connection for a heart disorder remains denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for his service-connected hypothyroidism and secondary service connection for hypertension, arteriosclerotic heart disease, and myocardial infarction residuals. The examiner concluded that these conditions were not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected hypothyroidism.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for atherosclerotic heart disease, finding that it was not related to his military service and did not result from or be aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension was denied in August 1987. The Board has reopened the claim based on new and material evidence received since that decision.,Service connection for bilateral knee pain is not warranted as there is no current diagnosis of a bilateral knee disorder.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including providing notice on service connection on a direct basis and obtaining missing medical records.

The Board found that there was no evidence to support the claim that the veteran's ASHD or COPD were caused by exposure to extreme climate conditions during service. The medical opinions provided did not support a connection between the veteran's in-service conditions and his later development of ASHD and/or COPD.