Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2017

The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease due to herbicide exposure, but denied service connection for hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and carotid artery/peripheral artery disease as not related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran requires regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected Parkinson's disease, which causes him to need assistance with daily personal needs such as preparing food, eating, bathing, hygiene, and medication management.

The Board finds that the Veteran's claimed heart disabilities are not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and left carotid artery stenosis were denied, while the claim for a higher initial disability rating for ischemic heart disease was also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran served in Vietnam and is presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange. Therefore, service connection for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, type II, due to Agent Orange exposure is granted.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been presented to reopen the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a heart disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and potentially scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, as his combined rating is 100% and he already receives SMC for ischemic heart disease.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to January 15, 2015.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a respiratory condition or heart disease that is etiologically related to his active service. The Veteran's current conditions were attributed to post-service events and exposures.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's coronary artery disease did not have its onset during active service and is not related to such service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to August 20, 2010, for the award of service connection for CAD was denied as there is no indication that he filed a formal or informal claim before this date. The effective date assigned is based on when VA received his claim.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease was rated at 60 percent prior to June 17, 2016 and denied a rating in excess of this. The claim for temporary total evaluation due to aortic valve replacement in August 2012 was also denied.

The Veteran's heart disability has been manifested by a workload of greater than 7 METs but not greater than 10 METs resulting in dyspnea and fatigue, requiring continuous medication. The next higher rating is not warranted as there was no evidence of cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for coronary artery disease and hypertension to allow for additional development, including consideration of new VA examination reports.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease as a result of herbicide exposure is being remanded due to insufficient development regarding his duties at Udorn RTAFB, Thailand and U-Tapao, Thailand.

The Veteran is found to be unemployable due to service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and ischemic heart disease. The TDIU is granted for the entire period from December 11, 2012.

The Veteran's CAD was assigned a staged disability rating of 30 percent prior to May 24, 2012 and increased to 60 percent effective August 2, 2013. The claims for hypertension and erectile dysfunction were granted.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is presumed to be due to his in-service herbicide exposure, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 30 percent, effective November 26, 2013. The claim for service connection for sleep apnea was denied as there is no evidence of a nexus to military service or herbicide exposure. Service connection for ischemic heart disease was also denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service.