Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2017

The Veteran's hypertension disability and diabetes mellitus (diabetes) are being remanded for further development. The post-laminectomy scarring issue is also being remanded.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is currently rated at 10 percent and the gastrointestinal disability (stomach ulcers and GERD) has been granted. The Veteran does not have service connection for an enlarged prostate or headaches.

The Veteran's service connection claim for ischemic heart disease, claimed as due to herbicide exposure, is granted based on presumed exposure during his time in the Korean DMZ.

The Board found that the Veteran's severe aortic stenosis and ectasia of the ascending aorta were not caused by active duty service, but rather due to natural progression over time.

The Board has granted service connection for CAD and assigned a 30 percent rating. The effective date of the award is February 17, 2009. The Veteran's disability picture does not warrant a higher initial rating.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as his service-connected low back disorder does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 40 percent, and he did not meet the criteria for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for radiculopathy of either lower extremity. His request for assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant was also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for kidney disability, costochondritis, and coronary artery disease (CAD) with chest pain. The decisions were final due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is found to be aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and thus granted as secondary.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a higher rating for arteriosclerotic heart disease.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new comprehensive VA examination addressing etiology of his heart disability, specifically if it was caused or aggravated by service-connected PTSD and any medications used to treat same.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and CAD have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for ischemic heart disease is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his service connection and increased rating for ischemic heart disease, finding that there was no evidence of an increase in severity prior to the assigned effective dates.

The Veteran's heart disability, including coronary artery disease and atrial flutter, is not service-connected as it did not manifest during his active duty service. The VA examiner concluded that the current arrhythmia is unrelated to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to August 31, 2010, for the award of service connection for ischemic heart disease is denied as there was no denial of compensation in a decision issued between September 25, 1985 and May 3, 1989, or pending before VA on May 3, 1989, or received by VA between May 3, 1989 and August 31, 2010.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease and multiple orthopedic conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from December 11, 2015.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is necessary to determine if the Veteran's current heart condition and hypertensive vascular disease are related to service, specifically his March 1996 period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA).

The Veteran's coronary artery disease is rated at 60 percent effective from August 8, 2012. The Board also granted service connection for right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for hypertension was reopened and granted on the merits. The Board found that the current diagnosis of hypertension is not related to service-connected diabetes mellitus.,Service connection for ischemic heart disease has been established as a separate condition, with no presumption based on Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's claimed heart disorder and rib injury residuals, including whether they are related to service or his service-connected panic disorder.