Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2017

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if his current condition was caused by ionizing radiation exposure in service. The issue of herbicide exposure will not be addressed as there is no evidence of service near the Korean DMZ.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart disorder was not incurred or aggravated by service and is unrelated to his service-connected disabilities, including major depressive disorder, duodenal ulcer, and mild degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine. As such, the claim for service connection for a heart disorder is denied.

The Veteran's skin disorder, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities are not service-connected as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an addendum medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death and whether his service-connected disabilities contributed to it. The case will be returned for further consideration.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, as well as seeking medical nexus opinions regarding the Veteran's cardiovascular disorder, skin disorder, and erectile dysfunction.

The Board has granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, and prostate cancer on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents during military service in Thailand.

The Board has granted service connection for a neck disability and peripheral neuropathy, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise that these conditions are related to service. The claim for a higher rating for coronary artery disease remains denied.

The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure and denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease, including coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure.

The Board has remanded the case to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability contributed to his death, which was caused by cardiac arrhythmia with contributory conditions including coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.

The Veteran is granted service connection for ischemic heart disease due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The other conditions are not considered service-connected.

The Board found that the Veteran's heart disorder, benign prostatic hypertrophy, and headaches are not due to his active duty service or any service-connected conditions. The evidence does not support a finding of exposure to herbicide agents, PTSD, or diabetes mellitus, type II as causes for these conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and granted it, finding that new evidence submitted since the last denial shows a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. The heart condition is also found to be related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and higher ratings for his atherosclerotic coronary artery disease are denied. The effective date of the grant of service connection is set at July 11, 2002.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and coronary artery disease, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his in-service hypertension.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a video-conference hearing at the RO.

The Board has remanded the case for additional evidentiary development due to a lack of hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Board has remanded the case due to a scheduling issue for a videoconference hearing. The Veteran's claims for PTSD, diabetes mellitus, heart disability, and arthritis of the bilateral knees are still pending.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the claims of service connection for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the bilateral knees and an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for ischemic heart disease (IHD).

The Veteran's application for an earlier effective date for the grant of a TDIU was denied as there is no legal basis to assign an effective date prior to April 9, 2010 due to lack of service-connected disabilities prior to that date. The case is remanded for further development and consideration.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for cause of death based on new and material evidence, but denied the claim as the Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability or otherwise attributable to his military service.