Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2014

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cardiac disability, including ischemic heart disease, is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, leading to the denial of his claim for total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart disorder is secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder and has granted service connection for this condition. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II may be presumed due to herbicide exposure, but there was no evidence of such exposure in service. Service connection for a skin disorder is not addressed as it was remanded.

The Board found no evidence of a pre-existing heart condition and concluded that the Veteran's current heart disorder is not related to his active service.

The Board has granted a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD effective April 15, 2011. The Veteran's claim was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence regarding his hypertension.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for another VA examination and medical opinion regarding his ability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of his service-connected coronary artery disease.

The Veteran's AML is found to be service-connected due to exposure to benzene in service. Service connection for myelodysplastic disease, heart disease, and ulcerative colitis is also granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding service connection for heart disease, to include CAD, MI, and atrial fibrillation. The Veteran's claims of increased rating for seizure disorder and earlier effective date are also being addressed.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death before a decision could be made on the issues of service connection for various conditions and a rating for a left knee disability.

The Veteran's hypertensive heart disease has been rated at 60 percent since April 8, 2004. The current rating is appropriate given the level of left ventricular ejection fraction and workload.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied across multiple conditions, including prostatitis, memory loss, refractive errors of the eye, wrist condition, sinus bradycardia, hypercholesterolemia, ischemic heart disease, PTSD, sleep apnea, left elbow scar, pseudofolliculitis barbae, right hand middle finger acquired deformity, bilateral peripheral retinal degeneration with dysfunctional tear syndrome and vitreous floaters, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction. The claims were denied as there was no competent evidence of a service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease, is being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions. The case will be reviewed again after obtaining additional evidence.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor may it be presumed to have been due to herbicide exposure.

The Board found that none of the service-connected disabilities caused or contributed substantially to the Veteran's death. The medical evidence did not support a link between Agent Orange exposure and the cause of death.

The Board has decided that additional development is necessary due to the lack of service treatment records from Fort Gordon. The Veteran's heart condition, including his implantable pacemaker and heart murmur, will be reviewed again with consideration of these new records.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease and tinnitus, which arose from combat action in Vietnam, meet the criteria for a TDIU rating as of January 14, 2010.

The Board has determined that the appellant's ischemic heart disease, diagnosed as atherosclerotic heart disease of native and bypass coronary arteries, was incurred in service. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD) is remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected PTSD, which is a direct result of his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate notice provided in previous correspondence, and the appellant is required to provide new evidence that would allow for reopening of her service connection claim.

The Veteran's effective date for the award of total disability rating based on individual unemployability is set at March 20, 2006, as this was within one year prior to his formal claim and it became factually ascertainable that he was unemployable due to service-connected ischemic heart disease.