Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2014

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a gastric/bowel disorder, to include cholecystitis, was denied. The effective date for the award of a 30 percent rating for coronary artery bypass graft was set at January 29, 2007.

The Veteran's cause of death is found to be due to ischemic heart disease, which the Board finds was caused by herbicide exposure during service. As such, the appeal for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, effective February 24, 2005. The Board finds that the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria for a 70 percent rating due to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the extremities, lymphoma, and ischemic heart disease, were denied as there is no evidence of exposure to Agent Orange during service. The Board found that the current disabilities are not related to military service.

The Veteran seeks service connection for heart disease, including ischemic and hypertensive heart disease with hypertension. The Board has determined that the February 2014 VA examination is inadequate as it did not address whether the Veteran's hypertension may be related to herbicide exposure during service.

The Veteran's service-connected traumatic arthritis and residuals of a L3 fracture did not cause or contribute to his death from end cardiomyopathy, ischemic heart disease, and atherosclerotic vascular disease.

The Veteran's ischemic coronary artery disease was rated at 100% from May 1, 2006 to October 22, 2012. The Board found that the Veteran had other neurological disorders (carpal tunnel syndrome) and did not have service connection for his upper or lower extremity neuropathies due to Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance or by reason of being housebound.

The Veteran's claim of a higher rating for his service-connected coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation has been dismissed as there is no longer a case or controversy with respect to the issue, given that he has been in receipt of benefits at the 100% level throughout the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings of arteriosclerotic heart disease have been denied.,An earlier effective date is sought for a 30 percent rating, which was granted in October 2012 but the claimant disagrees with this effective date.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and attempting to obtain private treatment records. The Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions are inextricably intertwined with his claim for herpes zoster.

The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to individual unemployability for further development, including a VA examination and an opinion regarding the combined effect of all service-connected disabilities on the Veteran's ability to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting VA examinations to assess his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to address the nature and etiology of his claimed heart condition and the severity of his service-connected bronchitis and psychological disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected coronary artery disease.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred on September 2, 2010 at Cardiology and Gastroenterology Associates of Myrtle Beach was denied because the care did not meet the criteria for emergency treatment under VA regulations. The services provided were non-emergent follow-up outpatient treatment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's IHD most nearly approximated a disability rating of 60 percent from March 1, 2012 to May 30, 2013. For the initial rating period prior to August 31, 2010 and after May 30, 2013, the Veteran's IHD has been rated at a 30 percent disability level.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims of service connection for various conditions, including meningitis, heart disability, kidney disability, lung disability, back disability, brain damage, and emotional and behavioral problems. The appeal is based on the merits of these claims.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and a medical opinion from a cardiologist. The Veteran's heart disorder is currently diagnosed as valvular heart disease and non-obstructive coronary artery disease with reversible ischemia.

The Veteran's CAD with a history of myocardial infarction, and status post stents is rated at 30 percent since February 23, 2012.