Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2008

The Board finds that the veteran's coronary artery disease, which is related to his service-connected Type II diabetes mellitus, warrants service connection. However, there is no evidence linking the veteran's hypertension to his active duty service.

The Board has determined that service connection for coronary artery disease is not warranted as it is not etiologically related to the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus. The initial disability rating higher than 30 percent for PTSD has also been denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease, asthma, pulmonary disorder (claimed as non-malignant pathology of the lungs), and Parkinson's disease, all claimed as due to exposure to ionizing radiation. The Board found that none of these conditions are recognized by VA as being associated with exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for heart disease, claimed as secondary to PTSD due to a lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased disability rating for hypertension with angina and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for higher ratings or preclude him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for further development due to incomplete records from his treatment at the Greenville VAMC.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection due to a lack of legal merit or entitlement under the law, as no prior claims were received before May 26, 1999.

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

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine if the veteran's coronary artery disease was caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD. The claim will be remanded for this purpose.

The Board has granted service connection for a heart disorder, status post transplant. The issue of whether new and material evidence was submitted to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus is remanded.

The veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as he did not meet the threshold requirements for a grant of that benefit prior to July 27, 2005. The effective date assigned is July 27, 2005.

The veteran's death was due to atherosclerotic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, both of which were not service-connected. The appellant seeks benefits for the cause of her husband's death, TDIU, and educational assistance under Chapter 35. However, the Board found that neither condition was service-connected or related to any service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's coronary artery disease is not related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for heart disease and a low back disability, finding no current evidence of these conditions and insufficient medical opinion linking them to service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule a videoconference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the St. Petersburg, Florida RO.

The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease and degenerative joint disease of the right knee and hips, finding that the veteran's conditions were not incurred or aggravated by his military service.

The Board found that the veteran did not have a verified in-service stressor for PTSD, and thus denied service connection. The veteran's diabetes mellitus, depression, and coronary artery disease were also denied as they are not related to his active duty service.

The veteran's fatal conditions were not caused by any incident or illness that occurred during his service.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, finding that the veteran's experiences in Vietnam provided sufficient evidence of a stressor to support his claim. The other issues involving heart disease and reopening previously denied claims have been remanded.