Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2014

The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease was granted, with a 100% evaluation effective from April 30, 2010. The condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to that date.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and for obtaining outstanding medical records. The case will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to new and material evidence. However, the claim remains denied as there is no competent or probative evidence establishing a link between any current disability and the Veteran's active duty service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal of all claims before the Board.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and issuing a statement of the case for his service connection claim. His increased rating claim will also be readjudicated.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current heart disabilities are not related to his service, as they were diagnosed many years after discharge and do not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability and heart disability are related to her active duty service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for hypertensive heart disease prior to January 26, 2011 or from that date onwards. For his knees, the evidence supported only a 10 percent rating since November 30, 2012.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, abdominal wound residuals, CAD, and diabetes mellitus, type II, render him unable to obtain or retain substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran's current heart disorder is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active military service and therefore denied service connection for a heart disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertensive heart disease (claimed as coronary artery disease) is being remanded due to the need for an addendum VA opinion regarding whether arteriosclerotic vascular disease can be considered a form of ischemic heart disease and if it had its onset during his period of honorable active duty service.

The Veteran's acyanotic congenital heart disease with atrial septal defect is determined to be a congenital defect and not service-connected as there was no evidence of additional disability due to disease or injury during military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected hypertension and ischemic heart disease did not cause or contribute substantially to his death. The underlying causes of death were advanced respiratory failure, malnutrition, cachexia, COPD, and pneumonia.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal on the issues of entitlement to an increased rating for hypertension with renal insufficiency, bilateral hearing loss, and diabetes mellitus type II.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the AOJ for further adjudication under the amended 38 U.S.C.A. § 1725, as it relates to non-cardiac charges and the criteria of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1728 for cardiac treatment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease, claimed as secondary to exposure to Agent Orange, is being remanded due to uncertainty regarding the exact nature and etiology of his condition. The case will be reviewed again after obtaining additional information from the Social Security Administration and verifying if the USS Gridley suffered a helicopter loss during the Veteran's service.

The Veteran's initial ratings for coronary artery disease have been denied as the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating before February 27, 2012 and from that date.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disorder, to include as due to in-service herbicide exposure, is granted on a presumptive basis. The other claims are pending further development and review.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including scheduling a VA heart examination and clarifying the Veteran's address. The Veteran is seeking service connection for a heart condition that he contends pre-existed his military service but was aggravated by strenuous activity during active duty.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a search of the missing claims folder and possible new VA cardiology opinions. The case will be re-adjudicated after these steps are completed.