Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2015

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to address the service connection claims for heart disability and hypertension.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of ischemic heart disease and establishing eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The decision also addressed his claim for SMC at the housebound rate, which was granted retroactively to August 27, 2004.

The Veteran's hypertension is being remanded for a new VA medical opinion to determine if it is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus or coronary artery disease.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, and adenocarcinoma of the prostate due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to active service or any presumptive exposure.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) is denied as there was no prior informal or formal claim received by VA prior to August 26, 2005. The effective date assigned is August 26, 2005.

The Board has determined that the current evidence of record is insufficient to determine whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities make him unemployable. The case is therefore being remanded for a VA social and industrial survey to assess his overall ability to work.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, when considered together, rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment from July 15, 2010 to July 14, 2011.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease has been rated at 30 percent since August 31, 2010. The condition is manifested by cardiac hypertrophy and a left ventricular ejection fraction of 60 percent.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an additional medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's coronary artery disease is aggravated by his service-connected asbestosis.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides and whether his conditions are related to such exposure. The case is being remanded for this purpose.

The Board has found that the Veteran's sleep apnea is caused by his service-connected heart disease and hypertension, thus granting service connection for sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease was denied in a 1990 rating decision. The effective date of the grant of service connection is set at February 22, 2002.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease (CAD) is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted. The effective date for the grant of service connection for CAD remains August 31, 2010.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's diagnosed ischemic heart disease to his active duty service, including as due to exposure to Agent Orange. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has determined that the evidence received since the May 2009 rating decision is not new and material, thus the claim of service connection for the Veteran's cause of death may not be reopened.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical examinations and opinions regarding his claimed conditions, as well as updated treatment records. The issues of service connection for various conditions are pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for a TDIU prior to December 10, 2007. His splenectomy and Hodgkin's disease were considered in determining his employability, but he also had other conditions like chronic pulmonary insufficiency and ischemic heart disease that precluded him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than January 19, 2005, for the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease was denied as there was no prior claim received before that date.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital from May 12, 2012 to May 18, 2012 are denied as the treatment did not constitute a medical emergency and was not necessary due to his stable condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and a heart condition have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other causative factors.