Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including ischemic heart disease, erectile dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and front teeth injury. The remand requires further investigation into the Veteran's exposure to herbicides in Korea and a VA dental examination.

The Board has granted service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and ischemic heart disease, finding that the Veteran's conditions began during active service.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted with a 30% rating from May 5, 1997 to March 9, 2005. The appellant was recognized as the proper claimant for claims pending at the time of the Veteran’s death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to February 21, 2013, for the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease, status post myocardial infarction.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for service-connected residuals of fractured right tibia was denied as the evidence did not show malunion with slight knee or ankle disability.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for ischemic heart disease was denied as his workload did not exceed 7 METs but he experienced dyspnea and angina.

The Veteran's initial 10% evaluation for coronary artery disease, status post myocardial infarction, is granted and changed to a uniform 30% evaluation effective February 26, 2008. No higher rating is warranted.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for various service connection claims, including those related to coronary artery disease with valvular heart disease and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. The Veteran's claim for right upper and left upper extremity radiculopathy was also denied as there is no evidence of such in the one-year period prior to November 3, 2011.

The appeal for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed.,Service connection has been granted for non-Hodgkins, cutaneous t-cell lymphoma and diabetes mellitus due to in-service herbicide agent exposure. Service connection for asthma was also granted.,Heart disorder, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, and left lower extremity are all remanded for further evaluation as there is insufficient evidence to make a decision on these claims.

The Board denied service connection for sinusitis, heart disease, GERD, and OSA as there was no evidence of a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of various conditions, including cervical spine disorder, bilateral hearing loss, coronary artery disease, erectile dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, residuals of a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), and bilateral peripheral neuropathy. The claims were dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran’s attorney.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, coronary artery disease (CAD), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Parkinson's disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, end stage renal disease secondary to diabetic kidney disease status post renal transplant, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and a visual disability.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions have been dismissed due to his death during the appeal process.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II is found to aggravate his hypertension, which has been granted as a service-connected disability. The heart disabilities (including valvular heart disease and hypertensive vascular disease) are not related to the service-connected conditions or exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, a psychiatric disorder (including bipolar disorder and mood disorder), and a heart disorder (including coronary artery disease).

The Board dismissed the appeal for a higher rating of coronary artery disease status post MI with stent placement.,A disability rating of 70 percent was granted for PTSD, effective prior to July 28, 2018. The Veteran is also entitled to TDIU due to service-connected disabilities prior to that date.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertensive heart disease and its residuals, as well as TDIU due to stroke. The reasons include inadequate opinions from previous VA examinations regarding the etiology of hypertension.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities make it impossible for him to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted his claim for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's appeal for an effective date prior to February 7, 1994 for the grant of service connection for rheumatic heart disease is dismissed due to his death.

The Board has remanded the issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for ischemic heart disease (IHD) due to conflicting medical findings regarding cardiac hypertrophy.

This decision denies service connection for atrial fibrillation, grants a 10% rating for left leg shin splints, and remands the issues of service connection for variously diagnosed skin disability and heart disability other than atrial fibrillation due to exposure to Agent Orange. The Veteran's claim for higher rating for right leg shin splints is not before the Board.,Further development is needed regarding the Veteran's allegations of exposure to Agent Orange in service, specifically his duties as an aircraft repairman.