Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2012

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the Waco, Texas RO. The issues are whether he should receive a higher disability rating for irregular heartbeats and if his heart disability other than irregular heartbeats can be linked to service.

The Veteran's service-connected heart disability, including congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease, was found to be manifested by a workload of approximately 4 METs, with an ejection fraction of no less than 66 percent, prior to October 22, 2007. The criteria for a rating in excess of 60 percent were not met.

The Board has reopened the claim of entitlement to service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and granted a new rating. The Veteran's PTSD is rated as 50 percent disabling, but his left ankle scar does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss. He also seeks a higher initial rating for his ischemic heart disease with coronary artery disease and entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction and a skin disorder.,The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for hypertension. The RO has yet to issue a Statement of the Case on this issue, as it pertains to both the effective date assigned for hearing loss and the disability rating assigned for hypertension.,The Veteran seeks higher initial ratings for his ischemic heart disease with coronary artery disease and entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction and a skin disorder. The RO has yet to issue a Statement of the Case on these issues, as they are intertwined with the earlier effective date claim for hearing loss.,The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for his erectile dysfunction and a skin disorder (psoriasis). He contends that both conditions are related to his active duty service or exposure to herbicides. The RO has yet to issue a Statement of the Case on these issues, as they are intertwined with the earlier effective date claim for hearing loss.,The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for his skin disorder (psoriasis). He contends that it is related to exposure to herbicides during active duty. The RO has yet to issue a Statement of the Case on this issue, as it is intertwined with the earlier effective date claim for hearing loss.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a heart disability, finding that there is no direct evidence linking his current condition to his military service. The Board also found insufficient evidence to support secondary service connection based on his other service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current heart disability and finds no direct service connection is warranted for his claimed heart condition.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to lack of timely filing of a notice of disagreement for the denial of service connection for degenerative disc disease. The Veteran's claims for other conditions were denied as they are not compensable under VA regulations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, finding that none were incurred or aggravated by his active duty service.

The Board found no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to the claimed conditions, and thus denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, heart disorder, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease has been granted by the RO, and thus the issue is no longer in appellate status.

The Board has granted service connection for dysthymia, but denied service connection for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, type II. The Veteran's dysthymia is related to his active duty service.

The Board granted an effective date of November 24, 1999 for a 50 percent disability evaluation for PTSD. The Veteran's service connection claims for back disability, neurological disabilities of the hands and lower extremities, and heart disability were all found to be supported by evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an opinion on whether service-connected PTSD or residuals of cold weather injury to the bilateral lower extremities contributed to the Veteran's death from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

The Board found that the Veteran's headaches, vertigo, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are all related to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's CAD, varicose veins, and pes planus are not service-connected. The Board finds that these conditions are secondary to his service-connected disability (bilateral pneumothorax).

The Board found new and material evidence to reopen the Veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension and coronary artery disease, but concluded that there is no competent evidence linking these conditions to active service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, coronary artery disease, nephritis (including history of nephritis and kidney stones), and a chronic respiratory disorder (to include asthma). The evidence does not support current diagnoses or a link to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his claimed conditions are not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board found no current heart disability and denied service connection for a heart disorder. The Court remanded the case to obtain clarification on the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including heart disorder, brain cancer, a lesion on the middle finger, prostate cancer, asthma, and chloracne, all claimed as due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The appeal was not about service connection at all.