Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2014

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have active duty of at least 90 days, and thus did not meet the threshold eligibility requirement for nonservice-connected pension benefits.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's ischemic heart disease is presumed to have been incurred in active service due to herbicide exposure during his time stationed at Ubon Air Force Base in Thailand. The condition meets the criteria for a compensable evaluation under VA rating criteria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for heart disease, hypertension, alcohol abuse, and cirrhosis of the liver. The Veteran's PTSD was granted a 70% rating, but his right ear hearing loss and tinnitus were both rated as noncompensable.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus is granted, and he is also granted service connection for back disorder, heart disorder, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities as secondary to his diabetes mellitus. The exposure basis is Agent Orange.

The Board has granted service connection for lung cancer, coronary artery disease (heart attack), and Type II diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure during service in Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and service personnel records. The Veteran's claim for reopening a previously denied hypertension claim and his secondary service connection claim for coronary artery disease are pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling her for a cardiac examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current heart disability. Additionally, she needs to be scheduled for an appropriate VA examination to assess the severity of her service-connected postoperative residuals of a right tubal excision for an ectopic pregnancy.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to determine the Veteran's exposure to herbicides and whether his death was related to service-connected conditions or other causes. The case is REMANDED for these actions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for fibromyalgia and depression, as well as her service connection claims for hypertension and coronary artery disease. The decision also noted that she had withdrawn her appeal regarding a rating in excess of 40 percent for fibromyalgia.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including adjudicating a service connection claim and obtaining an adequate opinion on whether the Veteran's heart disorder is related to her period of service or aggravated by her service-connected disorders.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing before the RO. The issues of service connection for prostate cancer, reopening of previously denied claim for heart disorder, and entitlement to TDIU are pending.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development regarding transfer of care from a non-VA facility (Munroe Regional Medical Center) to a VA facility.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating and earlier effective date for service connection of coronary artery disease was denied. The Board found that the earliest possible effective date provided by law is July 13, 2010.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of symptoms warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease, claimed as due to herbicide exposure in Guam, is being remanded for further development and consideration.

The Veteran's appeal is being returned to the Board for additional examinations and consideration due to concerns about the adequacy of previous evaluations, particularly regarding need for aid and attendance and loss of use of limbs.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease, to include as due to herbicide exposure, is denied because there is no current diagnosis of the condition and no evidence linking it to service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, chronic renal insufficiency, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy, precluded him from securing and maintaining a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease is service connected due to presumed exposure to herbicides during his Vietnam service.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and coronary artery disease due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service or exposure to herbicides.