Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2010

The Board finds that the Veteran's cause of death, lung cancer, was not incurred in or related to his military service. The evidence does not establish exposure to Agent Orange during service and there is no other evidence linking the cause of death to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical development, including obtaining clinical records from providers who treated the Veteran in the year prior to his death and addressing whether lymphoid leukemia contributed to the cause of death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart condition is not related to his service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder, hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II, CAD as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II, and eye disorder (refractive error). The appeals were decided on a direct basis without any presumption or secondary theory of service connection.

The Veteran's pes planus and heart disorder were denied service connection as the evidence did not show they were aggravated by military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during active service and are not shown to have developed as a result of an established event, injury, or disease during active service. The claims for service connection are therefore denied.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and reopening of previously denied claims are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records, service personnel records, and SSA disability benefits records.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion regarding bilateral hearing loss and a VA examination for a heart disorder.

The Veteran's Dupuytren's contracture of the right hand was found to be incurred in service and granted service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for sarcoidosis, a heart condition, hypertension, glaucoma, and gout are denied as there is no competent medical evidence or credible lay evidence suggesting these disorders were incurred in or are otherwise attributable to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for coronary artery disease, finding no new and material evidence. The TDIU claim was also denied.

The Veteran's TDIU was awarded effective from May 25, 2004. The Board finds that an earlier effective date is not warranted as the Veteran did not have service-connected disabilities prior to March 3, 2004.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease with myocardial infarction, right bundle branch block, hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, and a psychiatric disability (PTSD and anxiety). The decision found that new evidence did not meet the criteria to reopen these claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed heart disorder, hypertension, sleep apnea, and hyperlipidemia are not related to his military service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining recent VA medical records and possibly scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD and ischemic heart disease are still pending.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for coronary artery disease and PTSD have been denied. The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has not met the criteria for a higher disability rating from May 31, 2005 to January 12, 2007 or from January 12, 2007.

The Veteran's ankylosing spondylosis of the lumbar spine is service-connected, and he has other service-connected conditions such as heart disease and pleural effusion. The right eye iritis was not found to be related to service.

The Board denied the appellant's petition to reopen her claim for service connection for the cause of death, as well as her claims for non-service-connected survivor's pension and accrued benefits. The decision found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, was not incurred or aggravated by his military service and did not manifest within one year of discharge. As a result, service connection could not be established.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA medical records and a VA opinion regarding the cause of death.