Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2017

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain is currently rated at 10 percent, effective May 11, 2009.,Prior to February 16, 2012, the Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease was rated at 30 percent.,From February 16, 2012, the Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease is rated at 60 percent.

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, type 2, erectile dysfunction, renal dysfunction, and heart disorder were denied as they are not service-connected based on the evidence of record.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death, coronary artery disease, was related to service or caused by his PTSD.

The Board finds that the appellant's heart disability, including coronary artery disease (CAD), did not originate during his periods of active duty or inactive duty training. The evidence does not support a link between his claimed heart condition and any period of service.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for coronary artery disease was granted, with the highest assigned rating of 30 percent effective September 25, 2009. The RO then increased the rating to 60 percent from May 7, 2015 through September 29, 2016 and to 30 percent thereafter.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, finding that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that it was incurred or aggravated during service.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than depression but including posttraumatic stress disorder was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any cardiac disability. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities include type II diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, diabetic nephropathy, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and erectile dysfunction.

The Board granted service connection for hypertension and hypertensive heart disease, finding that the conditions are related to herbicide exposure during service in the Gulf War. The Veteran is assigned a 10% disability rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease and aneurysm were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to active service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral eye disability and ischemic heart disease, both presumed due to in-service herbicide exposure, were denied. The claim of earlier effective date for PTSD was also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicides. Service connection is also granted for right upper extremity, left upper extremity, right lower extremity, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease is currently rated at 60 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available for this condition. The Board finds that a higher evaluation is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the initial disability rating for coronary artery disease and the effective date of service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus was denied as his symptoms did not require regulation of activities.

The Board has remanded the appeal for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination to address the Veteran's heart conditions. The issues on appeal are whether he is entitled to service connection for his heart disease and an initial disability rating for non-obstructive CAD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart disability, including coronary artery disease, was not incurred during service and is not related to his military service.

The Board found that the service-connected undifferentiated schizophrenia did not cause or contribute substantially to the Veteran's death. The VA medical opinions indicated that his CAD and ischemic cardiomyopathy, which were associated with herbicide exposure, did not cause or contribute substantially to his death.

The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis of the hands, knees, ankles, and feet was granted service connection based on its relationship to his service-connected rheumatic valvular heart disease. The heart disorder issue remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted service connection and rated at 50 percent disabling effective July 31, 1995. The rating for PTSD has been increased to 70 percent effective December 17, 2010.,Coronary artery disease (CAD) status post coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) was granted service connection and rated at 30 percent disabling effective August 31, 2010.