Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2017

The Board has granted the appellant's request to vacate the previous decision and is now considering the merits of her appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection of coronary artery disease.

The Veteran's heart condition is presumed to be related to his service in Vietnam, and he has been diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Service connection for this condition is granted.,While the Veteran contends that his hearing loss is due to noise exposure during service, VA medical opinions have determined that there is no evidence of a current hearing loss disability within one year post-service or any continuity of symptomatology since service. Therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's cardiac disability, including ischemic heart disease and coronary artery disease, is service connected due to exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam-era service. The TDIU claim remains pending as the rating for the service-connected condition has not been assigned.

The Board has determined that discontinuance of DIC benefits for the period from July 14, 2000 to April 13, 2010 was proper as a matter of law and denied the appeal.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded to obtain additional information and medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities of DMII, CAD, and HTN were not incurred in or as a result of service. The evidence does not support exposure to herbicide agents such as Agent Orange (AO) during active service.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease was rated at 30 percent, but the Board found that this rating did not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to lack of evidence showing more than one episode of acute congestive heart failure in the past year; a workload of not greater than 5 METs resulting in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope; or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of less than 50 percent.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a heart condition has been denied as there is no evidence of an in-service illness or injury that would be etiologically linked to the current disability.,Service connection for a seizure disorder remains pending, with the issue being whether the Veteran had seizures during active duty.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his coronary artery disease prior to November 4, 2016 was denied as the evidence did not show left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 50% or workload of 3 METs or less resulting in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's ischemic heart disease is not related to his service, including as a result of scarlet fever he contracted in service. The evidence does not support a medical nexus between the in-service occurrence and any current condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's ischemic heart disease is not service-connected due to lack of evidence of herbicide exposure in Korea and because it did not manifest within one year of service. The claim for psoriasis will be remanded as a VA examination is needed.

The Board has remanded the claims due to outstanding service treatment records and for VA treatment records from March 2017 to present. The Veteran's appeal is now pending again with the AOJ.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for heart disease, hypertension, vision impairment, and skin disorder of the feet have been denied. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service. However, he was granted service connection for dizziness with blackouts.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the relationship between his heart disability and service-connected anxiety disorder, as well as the severity of his bilateral hearing loss prior to October 25, 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder and coronary artery disease are currently rated at 70 percent, effective April 18, 2014. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and opinion regarding whether the Veteran has a current heart condition, its relationship to service or any other medical conditions, and whether it is related to his service-connected disability. The appeal will be returned to the AOJ after this additional development.

The Board denied reopening of the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and a left knee disability due to lack of new and material evidence. The heart disability claim was not reopened as there was no new and material evidence received. The anemia claim was also not reopened.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for service connection of a heart condition and for increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, right leg sciatica, and left knee patellofemoral syndrome. The appeals were not granted.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain outstanding VA treatment records and to schedule the Veteran for examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions. The appeal will be remanded to allow for this development.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.