Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2013

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his Reserve service records and to obtain any outstanding treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and will consider the claims again. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is not service connected, but he may have new evidence that could support his claim.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, and the Board finds that he is entitled to a TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule him for examinations to address the severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, as well as to determine whether he has ischemic heart disease. The claims are also being remanded to decide his claim for service connection based on exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses is being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records from 2009.

The Board found that the Veteran's diagnosed heart disorder and hypertension were not incurred or aggravated during his periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) with the National Guard. The evidence did not show any connection between these conditions and his service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining SSA records and determining if the Veteran's part-time employment constitutes gainful or marginal employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for his claimed conditions, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities are currently rated at 20 percent each, effective November 2, 2012. The Veteran is seeking higher ratings for these conditions.,The Veteran's service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities are currently rated at 30 percent and 20 percent respectively, effective November 2, 2012. The Veteran is seeking higher ratings for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current heart disability, claimed as cardiomyopathy, is not related to his active duty service and thus does not warrant service connection.

The Board found no evidence of current disabilities related to service and denied the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, and urinary tract infection.

The Veteran's PTSD resulted in total occupational and social impairment since the date of claim (May 24, 2007).,Coronary artery disease was granted service connection with an initial rating of 50 percent from May 1, 2011 to August 28, 2011 and from October 1, 2011.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease was rated at 10 percent from May 25, 2005 to September 7, 2006.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease status post bypass surgery associated with hypertension was granted an initial rating of 30 percent from February 18, 2004, to July 7, 2010, and a subsequent increased rating to 60 percent effective July 8, 2010.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been shown to prevent him from obtaining and maintaining all forms of substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and occupational background.

The Veteran's service-connected heart disability does not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (coronary artery disease and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine) do not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the cause of the Veteran's death and whether his service-connected conditions contributed to or accelerated any existing health issues. The appellant contends that PTSD exacerbated his renal condition, which in turn caused his death.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II, and assigned a 10 percent disability rating.