Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2009

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is rated at 20 percent, and service connection for coronary artery disease with post pacemaker was denied.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, skin cancer, and a lung disorder as the evidence did not support a finding of in-service exposure to Agent Orange or asbestos.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for entitlement to service connection for a heart disorder, as there was no evidence that the condition was present in service or within one year of discharge and it was not etiologically related to service.

The Board remands the case for an examination to determine if the Veteran's heart disease is caused or aggravated by his active duty service or service-connected PTSD.

The Board found no basis for assigning a higher rating either by rating the service connected disorder on the basis of heart disease or on the basis of hypertension.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a left ankle sprain was denied, while an initial evaluation of 30 percent was granted for coronary artery disease status post myocardial infarction and bypass.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding no evidence linking his coronary artery disease or diabetes mellitus to his military service.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's atherosclerotic coronary artery disease began during service or was caused by hyperlipidemia present during active duty, and grants service connection.

The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease as it was not shown to be incurred in or aggravated by active service, and was not proximately due to or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The appeal is remanded to the RO for further development and readjudication of the claims.

The Board concluded that the preponderance of the evidence is against the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as there was no evidence in the Veteran's extensive medical record that his kidney disease was due to gout medication.

The veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease was denied due to the absence of evidence of current heart disease, but a remand is necessary for an examination and medical opinion.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease, status post bypass, associated with hypertension does not warrant a rating in excess of 30 percent from February 23, 2001. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable.

The Board found that new and material evidence had been presented to reopen the claim for DIC based on service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, and granted entitlement to DIC. The claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35 was also reopened and granted.

The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining medical opinions to address whether any of the claimed conditions are related to service or have undergone an increase in severity during active military service.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim for a heart condition, but did find that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim for sleep apnea.

The Board granted service connection for mitral valvular heart disease and increased the rating for a pilonidal cyst to 20 percent.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death as there was no competent evidence linking any of his disabilities to his active service or a service-connected disability.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not related to any service-connected disabilities, and denied entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) benefits.

The veteran's coronary artery disease and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities do not meet the criteria for higher ratings.