Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2018

The Board has granted service connection for a back disability, but has remanded the issues of service connection for coronary artery disease, bilateral lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans (secondary to coronary artery disease), and hypertension. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's death, and no effective date earlier than July 30, 2011 for ischemic heart disease was granted.

The Veteran's service connection claim for Ischemic Heart Disease, due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his service in the Republic of Vietnam, is granted. The Board finds that there is at least equipoise evidence regarding whether the Veteran has a diagnosis of IHD and grants service connection based on this presumption.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for ischemic heart disease was granted, and he is now entitled to service connection for both ischemic heart disease and mitral valve regurgitation. The service connection for ischemic heart disease is based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service in the Republic of Vietnam.

The appeal for service connection for a heart condition due to poor circulation is dismissed.,The appeal for service connection for bilateral foot disability, skin disability, left groin injury, left upper extremity nerve disability, and right upper extremity nerve disability is dismissed.

The Board vacated the July 2018 decision denying the application to reopen service connection for valvular heart disease due to the Veteran not receiving notice of a scheduled personal hearing. The case is now REMANDED for scheduling a new hearing.

The Board denied service connection for a heart disorder due to Agent Orange exposure because the Veteran did not submit new evidence supporting his claim of in-service exposure.

The Board denied service connection for heart disease and neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's in-service exposure to ionizing radiation. The disabilities were not diagnosed until many decades after service, and there is no indication of any manifestations during service sufficient to identify the disease entity.

The Board has found that additional development is needed to address the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and their impact on his employability. The case is being remanded for a VA examination.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims as they are related to the Veteran's death.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease is remanded due to lack of evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The appeal regarding a rating in excess of 10 percent for coronary artery disease is dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal. The appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a higher rating for PTSD are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disorder, including ischemic heart disease and arrhythmia, due to exposure to herbicides, ship engine fuel, or asbestos is denied as there is no current diagnosis of any heart condition.

The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for ischemic heart disease, which was granted on November 1, 2006 due to herbicide exposure. The Board finds this claim is not supported by evidence that the disability arose prior to November 1, 2006.

The Board has denied effective dates prior to June 19, 2014 for service connection of coronary artery disease and erectile dysfunction with SMC on account of loss of use of a creative organ. The claims are remanded for further development.

Your claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence regarding your exposure to herbicides in Vietnam and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of coronary artery bypass graft (claimed as ischemic heart disease) is denied because the earliest date entitlement arose was December 7, 2011.

The Board denied the appellant's claims of entitlement to nonservice-connected death pension benefits and declined to reopen the previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for cause of the Veteran's death, finding no CUE in either decision.

Service connection is granted for ischemic heart disease, presumed due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. Service connection is also granted for hypertension, but the evidence is insufficient at this time.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease, diagnosed as CAD, is presumed to have been caused by exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam. The claim for service connection is granted.