Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2014

The Veteran's death was caused by atherosclerotic heart disease, which is not service-connected. The Board finds no persuasive medical evidence linking the Veteran's fatal conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the Board finds that the Veteran did not have any in-service disease or injury that resulted in his current conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and providing a new opinion from an examiner regarding the relationship between the Veteran's heart disorders and his service-connected major depressive disorder with anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The lumbar spine disability is rated as noncompensable prior to September 10, 2007, and 10 percent from that date to May 21, 2013, with a 40 percent rating beginning May 22, 2013. The cervical spine disability was also rated as noncompensably disabling prior to May 22, 2013, and 10 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to the assigned dates for service connection and benefits have been denied as there is no evidence of a claim or entitlement prior to those dates.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for gastrointestinal, heart, and respiratory disorders. The VA examinations found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's MI was not caused by VA care, treatment or examination. The Board finds that the VAMF's refusal to refill a Plavix prescription in September 2005 did not cause his January 2006 MI.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart condition, parathyroid condition, and fibromyalgia were denied. The Board found no current diagnosis of any of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his ability to work.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, and the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions likely preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for ischemic heart disease with coronary artery disease was denied as no legal basis existed for such a request.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for CAD was denied, as the evidence did not show chronic congestive heart failure or other criteria warranting a higher rating. The issue of additional dependency benefits for his son and TDIU were also addressed but are beyond the scope of this decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and a need to verify herbicide exposure in Thailand. The Veteran's claims for secondary service connection will be reconsidered based on the additional evidence.

The Board finds that the Veteran has ischemic heart disease, diagnosed as coronary artery disease, which is presumed to have been incurred in service due to his exposure to Agent Orange. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the claims. The Board found that his Merchant Marine service in 1968 did not qualify as active duty U.S. military service, thus VA disability benefits cannot be granted based on this exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's DM and ischemic heart disease are related to his service, including a period of ACDUTRA. The claims for these conditions were granted.

The Veteran's claims for hypertension, valvular heart disease, and an acquired psychiatric disability are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease with carotid artery disease, hypertension, and bilateral hearing loss, preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of records from the South Carolina National Guard, and further development is required.