Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2012

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and further factual analysis regarding the Veteran's heart disability claim.

The Board found no evidence to support a service connection claim for the Veteran's heart disability, concluding that any pre-existing condition did not increase in severity during his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's petitions to reopen his service connection claims for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, and peripheral neuropathy of each extremity due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of all remaining issues on appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a travel board hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the Cleveland RO. The case will then be returned to the Board for further appellate review.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for various conditions, including right leg injury residuals, left scrotal mass, arthritis and bursitis of hands and shoulders, left thumb condition, cervical spine degenerative changes, left ankle disorder, right leg fracture residuals/pain, mumps residuals, hypertension, coronary artery disease, erectile dysfunction, and insomnia. The claims were denied as the evidence did not support service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and coronary artery disease with congestive heart failure are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The Board will seek new examinations that comply with prior remand instructions.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO/AMC for further evidentiary development and readjudication due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Board has ordered the RO to obtain VA treatment records and provide a new opinion on whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is related to service, including in-service complaints of fatigue and headaches. The appeal will be remanded for these actions.

The Veteran died from a service-connected condition, and the appellant is eligible for dependents' educational assistance benefits. The effective date of eligibility has been determined.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claims of entitlement to service connection for hypertension and a heart condition. The Veteran should be provided proper notice of how to establish a claim of entitlement to service connection as secondary to an already service connected disability, and any VA treatment records concerning these conditions since February 2007 should be sought.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus, which were aggravated by his exposure to Agent Orange during service. As a result, the claim for service connection for the cause of death is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is found to have contributed substantially and materially to his death from atherosclerotic heart disease, with diabetes and Parkinson's disease contributing as well.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 80 percent, which meets the schedular requirements for consideration of a TDIU. The Board finds that his service-connected disabilities alone are sufficiently severe to produce unemployability.

The Board found no diagnosed heart disease and thus denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Veteran's epilepsy was not found to be a direct cause of his death, and the causes of death (pneumonia, coronary artery disease, and diabetes) were not determined to be service-connected.

The Board found that the Veteran's heart disability did not have onset during active service or within one year of separation for active service, and is not otherwise etiologically related to his active service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a heart disability was denied.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are granted as they are presumed to be due to exposure to Agent Orange during his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to the failure to discuss VA outpatient treatment records in the Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing.