Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2008

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, and the ratings for shell fragment wounds to the right flank, right calf, and left hand are unchanged. Service connection was not granted for heart disease.

The appeal is remanded for further development and readjudication of the veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease, to include as secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Board finds that service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is warranted based on the evidence showing that arteriosclerotic heart disease substantially or materially contributed to his death, and applying the doctrine of reasonable doubt.

The Board denied service connection for pulmonary tuberculosis and heart disease, finding no evidence of a current diagnosis or that the conditions were related to service. The claim for beriberi was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as the evidence did not support a relationship between the veteran's current disability and his military service.

The veteran's service-connected rheumatic fever is not currently active, and he experiences no disabling residuals.

The veteran's coronary artery disease, hypertension, and peripheral vascular disease have each been aggravated by his service-connected diabetes.

The Board denied the veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for adenocarcinoma of the prostate, status post radiation therapy, as there was no evidence to support a higher rating based on residual symptoms.

The appeal was dismissed due to the veteran's death.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and a heart condition, to include sinus bradycardia, as there was no evidence of the conditions in service or within one year after separation.

The veteran withdrew her appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and the Board found no evidence of a heart disability claimed as sinus arrhythmia.

The Board denied service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and residuals of a stroke as they were not shown to be incurred in or aggravated by the veteran's active service.

The claims for service connection for a heart disability and hypertension are being remanded to the RO for further development.

The Board found that the veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease was not related to his active service or any other service-connected condition.

The Board finds that the veteran's hypertensive coronary artery disease is related to an in-service diagnosis of arteriosclerosis.

The Board found that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim for coronary artery disease, but denied service connection for a bone spur of the left foot and tendonitis of the left elbow. The claim for coronary artery disease was also denied.

The veteran's chronic sinusitis is shown to manifest as more than six non-incapacitating episodes per year of sinusitis characterized by headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting. The veteran's coronary artery disease status post coronary artery bypass graft was not manifested during service or within one year of separation from service, and any currently diagnosed coronary artery disease status post coronary artery bypass graft is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to service.

The Board granted earlier effective dates of February 13, 2004, for the 30 percent ratings assigned to the veteran's service-connected chronic patellar tendonitis with chondromalacia in each knee and denied an earlier effective date of April 5, 2002, for the award of service connection for hypertensive heart disease.

The appeal was denied because new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the claim for service connection for congenital heart disease with septal defect.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, residuals of a laceration to the left thigh, hypertension with a heart disability, and headaches as new and material evidence was not found.