Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2008

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, heart disease, PTSD, residuals of a scar above the left eye, and bilateral hearing loss are all denied as they do not meet the criteria for establishing service connection.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death due to lack of a pending claim at the time of the veteran's death. The appellant's arguments regarding the role of her husband's service-connected disabilities in his death were not sufficient to establish service connection as there was no evidence linking these conditions to his death.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the veteran's previously denied claims of service connection for a low back disability, dizziness (blackouts), heart disability, bilateral leg disability, and bilateral ankle disability. The veteran does not currently experience any of these disabilities attributable to active service.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions did not have onset during service and are not related to his military service, including exposure to herbicides. As such, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and heart disease secondary to his service-connected solitary pelvic kidney, as well as a claim for an increased evaluation. The evidence did not support these claims.

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim of service connection for coronary artery disease, finding that the new evidence submitted did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied, and his claim to reopen a PTSD claim was also denied. The VA determined that the evidence did not meet the criteria for reopening the PTSD claim due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of the veteran's claim for service connection for heart disease, including coronary artery disease.

The Board found that the veteran did not have ischemic heart disease with localized edema during captivity, which would warrant service connection for the cause of death under the version of 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(c) in effect before the liberalizing change in 2004.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cholesteatoma with right ear hearing loss are not supported by the evidence of record. The Board finds no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's heart disability and anxiety disorder (claimed as bipolar disorder) are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims.

The veteran's service-connected left radius and ulna fractures have resulted in ankylosis of the elbow joint, preventing pronation and supination. The RO has granted a 50 percent rating for this condition.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current back, kidney, and heart disabilities to his military service. Therefore, the claims for service connection were denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current heart disease or disability. The veteran's peripheral vascular disease is related to his service-connected diabetes, but there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of heart disease or upper extremity neuropathy. The veteran's lumbar radiculopathy and burn scar are not established.

The veteran's TDIU rating was granted effective June 1, 2004 based on the increase in severity of his service-connected conditions and to resolve reasonable doubt in his favor.

The Board found that the veteran's cause of death (congestive heart failure due to coronary artery disease) was not incurred or aggravated in active military service, nor may it be presumed to have been so incurred. The preponderance of evidence is against a finding that any of these conditions are related to his service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA opinion on whether the veteran's death was caused by his service-connected conditions or other factors.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder and knee disabilities, PTSD, kidney stones, diabetes mellitus, and heart disease. The Board found that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by service, did not have a relationship to any service-connected condition, and no new evidence was presented to reopen previously denied claims.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board found that there is no evidence linking the veteran's current heart condition to service, and denied his claim for service connection. The other issues were not addressed as they were withdrawn by the appellant.