Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2009

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a copy of the CT scan report and any follow-up records. The claims for service connection for chronic lung disease and coronary artery disease will be reconsidered.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as he is capable of performing the physical acts required by sedentary employment.

The VA determined that the Veteran's cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease, is not related to his service-connected bilateral tinea unguium, both feet, and amputation of the right fourth toe.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of greater than 10 percent for rheumatic heart disease is denied as there are no symptoms related to the condition throughout the period of appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection were denied as there was no formal or informal claim for these conditions prior to April 22, 2004.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, cardiovascular heart disease, vitiligo, and erectile dysfunction, all secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The appeal was not about service connection at all.

The Board is remanding the case to the RO for further development and consideration, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease of the right lower extremity, and peripheral vascular disease of the left lower extremity was clearly and unmistakably erroneous due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of such severity as to preclude him from securing and following some form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work experience, warranting a total rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of shell fragment wounds of the arms, wrists and hands is denied. The Board found no medical evidence of such injuries or their residuals. For PTSD, the Veteran's condition does not meet the criteria for a higher initial evaluation.

The Veteran's hypertension and CAD were not found to be related to his service or diabetes, respectively. His type II diabetes mellitus was rated as 20 percent disabling effective February 12, 2008.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development due to outstanding VA treatment records from June 2006 to present. The claims of service connection for PTSD, bronchitis, heart disease, Parkinson's disease and an eye disorder will be further evaluated after obtaining these records.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, finding that the Veteran's current condition is more likely than not related to his military service. The issue of entitlement to service connection for heart disease remains pending and will be remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to issues related to service connection for chest pain and a back disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension and coronary artery disease were not related to his service or a service-connected condition, including herbicide exposure. The claims for secondary service connection were denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding the etiology of his hypertension and whether it was aggravated by service. The issues of entitlement to service connection for heart condition and CVA are also inextricably intertwined with the issue of hypertension.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD was found to have aggravated his pre-existing coronary artery disease, resulting in a 10 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine the current severity of his condition.

The Veteran's appeal to reduce his rating for coronary artery disease, status post myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass graft from 100 to 60 percent has been withdrawn.