Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2018

The Board has dismissed the appeals for initial compensable ratings and effective dates for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hearing loss. The remaining issues of service connection have been remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and consideration.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, heart disease (to include CAD, cardiomyopathy and CHF), residuals of a CVA, and PAD. The Veteran's STRs showed no evidence of these conditions during or immediately after service.,Service connection was not granted as the preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is related to his service-connected coronary heart disease.

The Board has determined that the evidence is insufficient to decide whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen the previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for a heart disorder. The Veteran's heart murmur was not aggravated beyond its natural progression during her active duty, but further medical opinion is needed to clarify this issue.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disorder and hypertension due to presumed exposure to herbicides in Vietnam. The claims will be reviewed with additional medical examinations to determine if there is a link between the conditions and the Veteran's service.

The Veteran's cerebrovascular accident, claimed as a stroke, is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to his service-connected diabetes and coronary artery disease.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation by reason of being housebound was denied because none of his service-connected disabilities are rated as 100 percent disabling independently, and the threshold schedular requirement for housebound under any theory is not met.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to independently perform daily functions of self-care or unable to protect himself from the hazards and dangers incident to his daily environment, thus denying special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance.

The Veteran's claim for a 60 percent evaluation for coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure was granted with an effective date of September 2, 2015.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's heart attack was caused or aggravated by his service-connected right shoulder disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to potential relevance of civilian medical records from the Veteran's employment with the U.S. government.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for neurological disorders and a heart disorder due to herbicide exposure. The case will be returned to the RO for further development, including obtaining medical records, determining whether the Veteran was exposed to herbicides, and providing an examination to determine the etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents, which is necessary for determining whether he was exposed in Vietnam and thus eligible for presumptive service connection for ischemic heart disease.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection in multiple areas, including heart disability as secondary to pre-pyloric ulcer with antrum scarring and hiatal hernia, liver disability with hepatitis C, acquired psychiatric disorder (depression), sleep apnea, skin disability (Stevens Johnson syndrome), and right leg disability. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for reopening these claims or establishing service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his atrial fibrillation with implantation of a pacemaker, specifically whether it was caused or aggravated by his service-connected ischemic heart disease status post coronary artery bypass graft (CABG).

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding his employment history and educational background. The Board will obtain additional VA medical records, request the Veteran's work history details, and provide a new VA medical opinion.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the cause of the Veteran's death because no claim was received by VA prior to June 11, 2018. The Veteran had ischemic heart disease and died in March 1989 due to heart disease.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypercholesterolemia has been denied as it does not constitute a disability for VA benefits purposes.,New and material evidence having been received, the claims for hypertension and alcoholism have both been reopened. Service connection is granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD (depression and/or mood disorder), migraine headaches, and sleep apnea on secondary basis to service-connected conditions.,The Veteran's joint pain, coronary artery disease, diabetes, eye disorder, glaucoma, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, respiratory disorder (asthma), liver disorder, kidney disorder, erectile dysfunction, residuals of TBI, restless leg syndrome, GERD, and other issues have been remanded for further review.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for PTSD, CAD, and bilateral hearing loss have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his claims.