Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2015

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease, which caused his death, is presumed to be related to his in-service herbicide exposure. Therefore, the Board grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were denied as the Board found no evidence of a nexus between his claimed conditions and his active service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for ischemic heart disease was denied as the evidence did not show that his disability warranted a higher rating. The TDIU claim was also denied as he did not meet the schedular criteria and there was no evidence of unemployability due to service-connected disabilities on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed heart disorder, including whether it is related to service. The appellant's ACDUTRA treatment records are also being sought.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's ischemic heart disease was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and may not be presumed to have been incurred as a result of Agent Orange exposure.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have ischemic heart disease or coronary artery disease, and thus, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing the Veteran with new VA examinations to determine the origins of his glaucoma, psychiatric disorders other than PTSD, heart disorder, diabetic retinopathy, and PTSD. The effective dates for certain awards are also being addressed.

The Board denied service connection for dizziness, headaches and/or memory loss, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease (CAD), and hearing loss. The Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran died from cardiac failure due to colon cancer and coronary artery disease. The VA medical opinion concluded that his death was not related to service or any presumptive conditions.

The Veteran's combined disability rating prior to March 18, 2014 was 70 percent. As of March 18, 2014, his combined disability rating is 80 percent with a single disability rated at 60 percent. The Board finds that the Veteran meets the schedular criteria for consideration for TDIU and grants entitlement to TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for heart disease and hypertension, finding no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service or exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of service connection for irritable bowel syndrome was granted, and the effective date is set at April 20, 2001.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, type II and ischemic heart disease have been granted due to in-service herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled hearing. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Veteran's appeal is for a rating in excess of 60 percent for coronary artery disease with coronary artery bypass graft from December 1, 2008 to August 3, 2010.

The Board has determined that the earliest possible effective date for the award of service connection for ischemic heart disease is March 15, 2010. The Veteran's claim was received more than one year after his separation from military service, so the effective date will be the later of the date of claim or the date the disability arose. Given that the earliest possible effective date can't precede the date of claim, the Board concludes that March 15, 2010 is the proper effective date for the award.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have ischemic heart disease as a result of herbicide exposure during service, and denied his claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease, finding no evidence of exposure to herbicides in Vietnam and thus denying presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and heart disorder due to exposure to Agent Orange are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination.