Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2018

The Veteran is granted SMC at the R-1 rate for special aid and attendance prior to October 3, 2017, and SMC at the R-2 rate thereafter. The decision is based on his service-connected disabilities including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and peripheral neuropathy.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease, granted on the basis of presumptive exposure to Agent Orange, and found that the Veteran's death was due to ischemic heart disease. The claim is now granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, and anxiety), and a brain disorder (including TBI and frontal temporal dementia). The case is being remanded to obtain additional evidence and provide further examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for heart condition, bladder cancer, and prostate cancer due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran's service treatment records do not provide clear information on these conditions' origins.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for coronary artery disease and sleep apnea due to incomplete records and the need for medical opinions.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for aortic valve replacement surgery are denied because VA facilities were not feasibly available and he did not receive prior authorization for the care received in December 2014.

The Board denied service connection for a gastrointestinal disability and a heart condition, finding that the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service or any related medications.,Both conditions were found to be unrelated to exposure to herbicide agents like Agent Orange.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease is found to have contributed substantially or materially to his death from progressive lung metastases due to kidney cancer. The Board grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for coronary artery disease and for TDIU due to the need for further development, including an examination of his current condition.

The Board has granted service connection for a heart disability related to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. However, it denied service connection for right-hand and left-hand tremors as there is insufficient evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.

The claim for service connection for skin rash was denied in 2009, but reopened due to new evidence. The case is remanded for further examination and opinion on the issues of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, heart disability, and skin disability.

The appeals to reopen claims of service connection for high cholesterol, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, heart disorder and diabetes mellitus are denied.,Evidence received since the March 2012 rating decisions does not relate any of these conditions to service.

The Board has granted service connection for headaches as secondary to a service-connected anxiety disorder, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease (CAD), and diabetes mellitus type II (DMII).

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is rated at 60 percent, which is the highest rating available under the applicable VA rating criteria. The decision does not address service connection issues.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease due to herbicide exposure as there was no evidence of in-service event, injury or disease and no credible evidence of herbicide exposure. The Veteran's current condition is not related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sleep apnea, heart disease, hypertension, fibroadenoma, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy. The Veteran's claims were not supported by evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other presumptive conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease is found to have contributed substantially or materially to his death from renal cell carcinoma. The Board grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension was reopened due to new and material evidence. The Board found that the Veteran’s hypertension was aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, thus granting service connection on a secondary basis.

The Board has granted service connection for headaches as secondary to a service-connected anxiety disorder, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease (CAD), and diabetes mellitus type II (DMII).