Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2015

The Veteran died due to a disability of service origin, ischemic heart disease. The Board finds that the death was caused by this condition and grants burial benefits.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain service treatment records and determine the relationship between his current disabilities and service.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, coronary artery disease due to herbicide exposure, and diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure.,There is no evidence of in-service diagnosis or treatment for these conditions. The Veteran's service records do not show any complaints or diagnoses related to these conditions.,While the Veteran claimed he was exposed to herbicides during his service in Vietnam, there is insufficient evidence to support a finding that he served in Vietnam and thus the presumption does not apply.

The Board has remanded the case for further consideration due to a lack of adequate consideration of whether VA examination was required and for obtaining Social Security Administration records. The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, type II are being reviewed.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his contributory causes (COPD, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and hypertension) were not related to military service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for a heart disorder, diagnosed as an aortic dissection and ischemic heart disease. The Veteran's heart disorder is presumed related to his exposure to toxic herbicides during service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and he did not meet the criteria for former Prisoner of War status. Therefore, his cause of death is not considered to be service-connected.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for hypertension with hypertensive heart disease and chronic renal disease was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 60 percent prior to June 13, 2013 and in excess of 80 percent on and after June 13, 2013.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for ischemic heart disease, finding that it is etiologically related to his active military service and presumptively linked to exposure to herbicides in the Korean DMZ.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for further development, including a Social and Industrial Survey to assess his employability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for her husband's cause of death, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted. The Board concluded that the Veteran's service-connected pulmonary tuberculosis did not cause or contribute to his death.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, coronary artery disease (CAD), right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, vision loss (diabetic retinopathy), and a skin disability (dermatitis).

The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease. The issue of entitlement to service connection for hypertensive heart disease is remanded as it may be related to the Veteran's diabetes mellitus and herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart condition, an increased rating for PTSD, and an initial rating for diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent disabling, which is the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 9411.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to address the nature and etiology of his basal cell carcinoma, residuals of stroke, and coronary artery disease.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is presumed to be related to herbicide exposure during his service at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base. His bilateral hearing loss was also found to have begun during active service.

The Veteran's claim for compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was denied because the evidence did not show that VA care caused additional disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in the Veteran's service records and the need to verify his claims of Vietnam exposure. The Veteran is seeking service connection for ischemic heart disease, which he contends was caused by herbicide exposure during his time in Vietnam.

The Veteran is unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment as a result of his service-connected disabilities, and the Board finds that he meets the criteria for TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50% and granted, but bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hepatitis are not service connected.