Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2018

The Veteran's sleep apnea is being remanded for a more detailed opinion regarding whether it is aggravated by his service-connected hypertensive heart disease.

The Board has denied service connection for a right wrist condition and remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depressive disorder, NOS and PTSD with alcoholism, and coronary artery disease (CAD), to include as secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder. The case is being remanded due to incomplete VA treatment records and the need for additional examinations.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding whether any current heart condition is related to service. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered after a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions and the need for additional private treatment records. The Veteran's heart conditions, including a myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, and abdominal aortic aneurysm, are being evaluated by a VA examiner.

The Board has remanded the claims for ischemic heart disease, adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood, and total rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disability. The Veteran needs to provide records of his cardiac treatment from the 1980s and 1990s, and a VA examination is needed to determine if he has ischemic heart disease. A VA psychiatric examination is also required to assess the severity of his adjustment disorder. The VA examiner should address how his service-connected disabilities affect his ability to work.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for heart disease, prostate cancer with frequent urination, erectile dysfunction due to prostate cancer, and depression. The reasons given were that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure or in-service conditions related to these disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete testing and outstanding records, particularly from a recent hospitalization. The Veteran's heart condition requires further evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected left knee total arthroplasty with left thigh muscle atrophy resulted in chronic residuals consisting of severe painful motion or weakness. The claim for increased rating is granted, and the Veteran is now rated at 60 percent for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, ischemic heart disease, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction on a presumptive basis due to exposure to Agent Orange during service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. No service connection decision was made.

The Board found no evidence of service connection for the claimed conditions and denied all issues on appeal.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a heart condition is denied. The February 1979 rating decision reducing the back disability rating from 40% to 20% is not subject to revision on the basis of clear and unmistakable error. TDIU is granted effective October 31, 2012.

The Veteran's cause of death was Alzheimer’s dementia, which is not service-connected. The Board denied DIC benefits as the Veteran did not meet the criteria for total disability compensation due to a service-connected condition for at least 10 continuous years immediately preceding his death.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and records. The current service-connected condition, coronary artery disease (CAD), may prevent him from working.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease has been granted. The claims for a compensable rating for scars and a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for actinic keratosis have been remanded.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability due to new evidence provided by his cardiologist. The Board found that there is at least as likely as not a link between the Veteran's current heart condition and his in-service hypertriglyceridemia, which was incurred during active service.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, effective from the date of this decision. The Veteran also received a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is found to have caused or aggravated his current sleep apnea, heart disability, venous insufficiency of the bilateral lower extremities, and benign prostatic hypertrophy. Service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Veteran's claims for COPD with mild asthma, hypertension, and gastroenteritis have been denied as there is no evidence to support their onset during service or a link to service.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, but remanded the issue of service connection for ischemic heart disease due to Agent Orange exposure.