Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2013

The Veteran's cause of death is not service-connected, and there is no evidence to support a claim for VA medical treatment under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Veteran's service connection claims for acquired psychiatric disorder, hypertension, organic heart disease, right leg disability, residuals of head injury (headaches), and left heel contusion were denied as the evidence did not establish a direct relationship to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease (CAD), finding that his hypertension was not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus or coronary artery disease.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, cataracts, depression, hypertension, impotency, and vascular disease. The evidence did not establish a direct link between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected valvular heart disease, mitral damage, class I is being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records and conduct further examination.

The Board has remanded the case for the VA Compensation and Pension Service to determine whether an extraschedular evaluation is warranted based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's claim remains denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings, earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits, and service connection for a heart condition have been denied. The claim for higher rating for tinnitus is also denied as the highest schedular rating of 10 percent has already been assigned.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to ischemic heart disease, which is presumed to be related to his in-service herbicide exposure.

The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease and hypertension, finding no evidence of their onset during active duty or a link to service-connected conditions. The Board also found no residuals of a contusion of the right distal thigh.

The Veteran's SMC claim is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if her service-connected disabilities necessitate the need for aid and attendance of another person or render her housebound.

The Board found that the Veteran's heart disorder, post-operative severe congenital bicuspid aortic stenosis, was neither incurred in nor aggravated by service.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for coronary artery disease and determined that it should be granted, as there is new evidence showing a possible link to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, as there is no evidence of coronary artery disease or myocardial infarction during his military service. The cause of death listed on his death certificate was myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease, which were not service-connected.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is presumed to have been incurred during active duty military service. The Veteran's PTSD does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 50 percent, and his TDIU claim is addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Board has determined that the appellant's ACDUTRA service does not meet the criteria for attaining Veteran status, and therefore cannot establish service connection for any of the claimed disabilities. The Board also found no competent or credible evidence linking any of these conditions to the appellant's military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination to address his TDIU claim and issuing a supplemental SOC on the issues of increased ratings and service connection.

The Board found that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that a heart disorder is related to active duty service, or may be presumed so. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a heart disorder was denied.

The Veteran's hypertension is currently rated at 10 percent, and his coronary artery disease was initially assigned a separate 30 percent rating from January 26, 2004 to February 13, 2012. From February 14, 2012, the Veteran's coronary artery disease is rated at 60 percent.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, effective November 10, 2004. He was granted a TDIU rating based on service-connected PTSD and ischemic heart disease, effective August 30, 2008. SMC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1114(s) is also granted.

The Board has granted the reopening of the Veteran's claim for service connection for CAD, to include as secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The decision also maintains a 50% rating for his service-connected PTSD.