Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2017

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than dysthymic disorder/depression and a lumbar spine disorder were denied. The Veteran was granted TDIU and SMC based on his service-connected disabilities, effective June 10, 2010.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an effective date prior to August 31, 2010 for service connection of ischemic heart disease and also denied his earlier effective date claim for TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to scheduling issues for a Travel Board hearing. The specific conditions and service connection theories are not addressed as the appeal does not pertain to these matters.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and considering any new evidence. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for ischemic heart disease will be reconsidered.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an effective date prior to June 9, 2009, for the service-connected disabilities listed on the title page. The Board has dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Veteran's heart condition, including any related to herbicide exposure during service, is being remanded for further development and an opinion from a VA examiner.

The Veteran's lung disability is presumed to be related to his service in Vietnam, and he has a current diagnosis of heart disease. The Board finds that the Veteran's heart disease is associated with herbicide exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's ischemic heart disease is not related to service, including exposure to herbicide agents. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for heart disorders, headaches, cervical spine disorders, lumbar spine disorders, acquired psychiatric/mental disorders (including PTSD, depression, anxiety), and sleep disorders. The Board found no evidence to support a direct link between these conditions and service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 11, 2008 for TDIU on an extraschedular basis due to insufficient evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable solely at that time.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease is not related to his military service, including his service in Saudi Arabia from October 1990 to April 1991. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease as secondary to exposure to herbicide agents is granted due to the presumption of exposure based on his service in Thailand.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA physician's opinion on whether the Veteran's service-connected heart disabilities were a principal or contributory cause of his death.

The Board has granted service connection for a heart disability and denied service connection for a pulmonary disease, including COPD.

The Veteran's atrioventricular block with pacemaker is rated at 10 percent prior to October 27, 2016 and at 30 percent from that date. Service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) has been granted.

The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for a heart disability and T-cell lymphoma need to be remanded due to incomplete development, including the failure to obtain dose estimates for radiation exposure during service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board cannot proceed with the merits of this case as he is no longer alive.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD, a skin disability, a left knee disability, stable angina, prostate disability, heart disability other than stable angina (includes cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, and hypertensive heart disease), hypertension, and right knee disability. The Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents is established based on his service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The Board found that new and material evidence had not been presented to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disorder characterized as psychoneurosis and anxiety, but reopened it based on newly submitted medical evidence indicating current diagnoses related to service. However, the Board concluded that there was no current hearing loss by VA standards, no established link between any diagnosed conditions and service, and thus denied all claims.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, by themselves or in concert, have not been sufficient at any time during the period of the claim to render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and occupational experience.