Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2017

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's fibromyalgia is presumed to have been incurred as a result of his active service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War. Service connection for skin disability and CAD are being remanded.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease with AICD is rated at 100% from November 1, 2006, to July 30, 2009; 60% from July 30, 2009, to September 21, 2012; and in excess of 60% from January 1, 2013, to May 3, 2015. SMC based on housebound status is granted from November 1, 2006, to July 30, 2009.

The Board has determined that there is no competent and credible evidence linking the Veteran's current heart disability to his in-service myocarditis, thus denying service connection.

The Board has determined that the character of the Veteran's discharge from military service for the period from May 1969 to July 1972 is not a bar to VA benefits.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the AOJ for further development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing. The issues are about service connection for heart disease and reopening his claim of diabetes mellitus type 2.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and CAD, as well as his claim for a total rating based on individual disabilities prior to August 30, 2011. The decision is based on direct service connection without any presumption or secondary theory.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed disabilities of diabetes mellitus, type II; heart condition; hypertension; and cancer of the kidneys were not incurred in or related to service, including exposure to herbicides. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board has determined that the service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, which is secondary to frostbite and rated as 20 percent disabling in each extremity, contributed substantially or materially to the Veteran's death. As such, the claim for service connection for cause of death is granted.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD), and thus, denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not have service in Vietnam and, therefore, is not entitled to presumptive service connection for any conditions based on herbicide exposure. The claims of service connection for various disabilities are denied as there is no evidence of a direct relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disability and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The evidence does not support a finding that his current heart condition is related to his active duty or any period of Reserve service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since October 12, 2011. Effective from that date, the Veteran is eligible for TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inadequate examination reports and need for further development of the record.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and bilateral hearing loss, but granted service connection for ischemic heart disease (CAD) due to exposure to herbicide agents. The Veteran is now eligible for past-due benefits under the CRDP program.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disorder and diabetes mellitus, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his period of active service or exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the case to allow for consideration of an extraschedular rating due to combined effects of multiple service-connected disabilities and marked interference with employment.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to scheduling issues for a hearing. Service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to service-connected PTSD, diabetes mellitus II, and heart disease, as well as due to Agent Orange exposure, remains under consideration.

The Veteran's heart disorder, specifically paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), was rated at 30 percent effective December 1, 2012. This rating is based on the service-connected condition alone and does not involve any presumption or secondary service connection.