Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding his exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is intertwined with the service connection claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease with scars, dismissed his claims for increased ratings for chloracne and scars, and found no herbicide exposure in Thailand.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the evaluation of his coronary artery disease and valvular heart disease, which are currently rated at 60 percent. The issue is dismissed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for ischemic heart disease, finding that there was no evidence of the condition prior to July 18, 2009.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for service connection for various conditions, and the Board has remanded these issues due to their potential impact on a TDIU claim. The TDIU issue will be reconsidered after addressing the service connection claims.

The Veteran's service connection claims for genitourinary disability, skin lesions, diabetes mellitus, and various neuropathies are dismissed. The Board grants service connection for coronary artery disease as a result of presumed exposure to herbicides during active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran was not exposed to herbicide agents during service and therefore cannot establish presumptive service connection for his claimed conditions. The claims of service connection for ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and residuals of stroke are denied.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease, post-coronary bypass graft, was found to not warrant a rating higher than 30 percent since April 8, 2009.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient information about the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents and because an examination is needed to determine if his heart condition is related to in-service exposure. The issue of service connection for a heart condition will be reconsidered after these steps.

The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or any presumptive exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but has remanded the issue of service connection for ischemic heart disease due to lack of a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeals for a higher rating for hypertension and an initial rating for ischemic heart disease prior to November 7, 2013 were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a 100% disability rating under Diagnostic Code 7005 due to lack of evidence of chronic congestive heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction less than 30 percent.

The Veteran's heart disability, including coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarction, and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) was rated at 100 percent from March 1, 2014 to May 4, 2014. The Board found that the symptoms amounted to an LV dysfunction with an EF of less than 30 percent during this period.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of PTSD and credible evidence linking it to his active duty service in Vietnam. For the heart disability, the case is remanded as additional medical opinions are needed due to new evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were granted service connection, but diabetes mellitus type II, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were denied.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was established due to in-service noise exposure. Service connection for tinnitus was also granted as it is related to the Veteran's current hearing loss.

The February 8, 2011 rating decision implicitly denied a claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected Ischemic Heart Disease and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. The RO considered the issue but found that the service-connected conditions alone did not render the Veteran unemployable.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease has not met the criteria for a higher rating since August 1, 1991 to May 25, 1998 and from September 1, 1998 to the present. The medical evidence does not show more than one episode of acute congestive heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of less than 30 percent.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development and review, including service connection claims and an earlier effective date claim. The Veteran's appeal includes multiple service connection claims and one related to the effective date of additional compensation based on having a dependent spouse.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a right eye laceration or left leg stretched ligament during service, and the Veteran's current disabilities are not related to service. The heart condition with stent placement and bilateral lower extremity peripheral artery disease have also been denied as they are not shown to be related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records related to the Veteran's claimed low back disorder and heart disorder.