Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides or pesticides in Guam, which could potentially establish service connection for Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease. The case is being remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for ischemic heart disease is dismissed as it is precluded by law.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for sleep apnea, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, tinnitus, memory loss, nephropathy, and heart disease to include coronary artery disease due to their secondary nature to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the case due to scheduling issues and will handle any additional development as required.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease was granted effective October 30, 2009. The Board found that the claim did not remain pending and was essentially abandoned due to failure to submit requested documents within one year.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and ischemic heart disease/coronary artery disease due to herbicide exposure. However, additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran had in-service herbicide exposure while serving aboard the USS Bayfield (APA-33).

The Veteran's service-connected hypertensive heart disease has not met the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 60 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling VA examinations and obtaining updated treatment records. The Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disorder, right lower extremity varicose veins, and hypogonadism will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, satisfied with the current 30% evaluation for coronary artery disease.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected arteriosclerotic heart disease (CAD).

The Board has determined that the Veteran is entitled to service connection for coronary artery disease due to herbicide exposure, as it was diagnosed after discharge and presumed based on in-country service during Vietnam.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development due to the need for a more comprehensive VA examination of his service-connected heart condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, arteriosclerotic heart disease, is presumed to be associated with herbicide exposure during service and therefore grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the contributory causes of death.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability, hypertension, and heart disorder were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the ratings for atherosclerotic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, bilateral diabetic retinopathy and left macular edema, and hypertension.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for occlusion and stenosis of the carotid artery and a heart condition, finding that there is no current disability or direct evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease with infarction did not result in any episodes of acute congestive heart failure, or a workload of greater than 3 METs but not greater than 5 METs. His left ventricular dysfunction had an ejection fraction over 50 percent.,The Veteran's hypertension is manifest by diastolic pressure predominantly above 100 and systolic pressure predominantly above 160, meeting the criteria for a 10% rating.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining inactive Naval Reserve records and providing a VA examination to address the Veteran's hypertension and heart disease claims.

The Veteran's heart disability is not shown to meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent, as his workload does not exceed 7 METs and he has no cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation.