Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2018

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of service connection for hypertension and determined that it is at least as likely as not related to his service-connected diabetes, coronary artery disease, and diabetic nephropathy. The decision also grants service connection for hypertension.

The Veteran's atherosclerotic heart disease is related to his military service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease, finding no evidence of exposure to herbicides and insufficient evidence linking his current condition to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to insufficient medical opinions regarding his claimed conditions and their relationship to service. The Veteran is seeking service connection for a heart condition, low back condition, disability manifested by pain of the lower extremities (claimed as joint pain), and skin condition.

The Veteran's high cholesterol is not service-connected and thus no rating is assigned.,Service connection for undiagnosed multi-symptom illness (Gulf War Syndrome) has been granted with a 40% disability rating, which is the maximum allowed under current criteria.,Bilateral hearing loss is rated at 30%, which is the maximum allowed under current criteria. Tinnitus is rated at 10%. Valvular heart disease is rated at 70% (subject to regulations governing payment of monetary awards).,PTSD has been granted with a 70% disability rating, and COPD was not service-connected after April 23, 2013.,The Veteran's undiagnosed multi-symptom illness is rated based on the criteria for fibromyalgia. The Veteran does have separate ratings for his gastrointestinal symptoms (GERD) and skin condition (dermatitis or eczema).,COPD was not service-connected after April 23, 2013.

The Veteran's initial increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the possibility of worsening since his last VA examination in March 2016.

The Board has denied service connection for thyroid nodules, heart disability, infertility, diabetes mellitus, headaches, and memory loss. The issues of service connection for a heart disability, infertility, diabetes mellitus, headaches, and memory loss are REMANDED.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was reopened and granted. The claims for increased ratings, hearing loss, heart condition, and knee/heel disabilities are remanded.

The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date for nonservice-connected pension benefits, finding that there was no documentation in the claims file showing a prior claim for such benefits.

Service connection granted for ischemic heart disease, hyperlipidemia (as high cholesterol), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, diabetes mellitus, and bladder cancer. Service connection denied for hyperlipidemia and hypertension. Other issues on appeal are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected diabetes mellitus is being remanded due to insufficient evidence of its severity over the relevant period.

The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and active service.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and a heart disability, finding that both conditions are directly related to the Veteran's service. The heart disabilities are secondary to his hypertension.

The Board is unable to decide the claim due to conflicting evidence regarding congestive heart failure and METs level, and requests clarification on these issues.

The Veteran's heart condition, including coronary artery disease (CAD), is presumed to be due to herbicide agent exposure. However, the service records do not confirm his exposure in Korea as a result of delivering mail to troops near the DMZ. The Board has ordered further investigation by the JSRRC to verify this claim.

The Board has denied service connection for COPD with asbestos, asbestosis associated with asbestos, and heart condition. The case is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the heart condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease was granted on October 6, 1994. The Board found that the evidence at the time of the April 1995 rating decision established some objective evidence of a diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for additional development and consideration, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The issues of an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for ischemic heart disease and entitlement to TDIU are intertwined.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, heart disease, hypertension, sleep apnea, cervical spine disability, low back/lumbar spine disability, right shoulder, knee, ankle, and/or foot disabilities, and psychiatric disorder have all been denied as there is no evidence of these conditions in service or within one year post-service. The Veteran's assertions regarding his current diagnoses are not credible.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for stroke residuals as secondary to coronary artery disease and/or diabetes mellitus due to incomplete examination reports and conflicting opinions.