Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right lower extremity disability, heart disability, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to presumed herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The appellant must be provided with VA medical opinions regarding these issues.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for Congestive Heart Failure with valvular heart disease status post heart valve replacement and secondary service connection for kidney failure due to service-connected diabetes mellitus type II (DM type II). The decision found that there was no evidence of a current disability during or within one year after service, and the Veteran's condition did not qualify under presumptive provisions. The Board also noted conflicting medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's kidney failure and his service-connected DM type II.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease, which is presumed due to herbicide exposure, was granted with an effective date of March 27, 2013.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease is being remanded for a VA examination to assess its current severity and manifestations, as well as authorization requests for missing medical records.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for various conditions, including coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathies of the upper and lower extremities, and PTSD, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher disability ratings in any of these cases.

The Veteran's initial rating for coronary artery disease (CAD) is denied as his disability does not meet the criteria for a higher than 60 percent rating. However, he is granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of ischemic heart disease was denied as he did not file a formal or informal claim prior to September 16, 2010.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation at the housebound rate from August 31, 2010 to November 1, 2011. The Veteran also does not qualify for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's heart-related myocardial bridging and myositis/heart condition. The examiner is required to determine if these conditions are congenital defects or diseases, whether they were aggravated by service-connected hypertension, and if they are related to active military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease, acquired psychiatric disorder, and traumatic brain injury was granted. The effective date of the grant is June 4, 2018.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and an opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's erectile dysfunction, hypertension, and heart disorder.

The Veteran's heart disability, including congestive heart failure, left bundle branch block, non ischemic cardiomyopathy, and mitral regurgitation, is denied as not related to service or any service-connected condition.,For the period prior to October 24, 2013, an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD is denied. For the period from October 24, 2013 onwards, a rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD is granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2 (diabetes), obstructive sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction as secondary to diabetes, hypertension as secondary to diabetes, and renal dysfunction as secondary to diabetes are all granted. The Board found the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his service in Thailand.

The Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease is characterized by a workload of greater than 5 METs but not greater than 7 METs resulting in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness or syncope. The Board has granted a rating of 30 percent for the condition.

The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates (earlier than March 30, 2004) for the grants of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity and for CAD must be denied.

The Veteran's claims for ischemic heart disease and prostate cancer are granted as they are presumed to be related to herbicide exposure. The claim for secondary service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, which is secondary to his service-connected coronary artery disease, has been remanded due to the inadequacy of the July 2016 VA examination. The Board requires a new opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran’s sleep apnea is related to his active service or if it is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected disabilities, specifically his coronary artery disease.

The Board denied service connection for gout with arthritis and ischemic heart disease, including as a result of Agent Orange exposure. The Veteran's claims were based on direct evidence rather than presumptive exposure.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his in-service asbestos exposure and his subsequent heart conditions.

The Board dismissed the appeals regarding pleural pericarditis and organic heart disease as there was no justiciable case or controversy.