Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a bar on VA benefits for his period of service from December 18, 1969 to May 2, 1973. The Regional Office will now consider his honorable service period from March 4, 1969 to December 17, 1969.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (ischemic heart disease and PTSD) preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 13, 2016.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD; service connection for a heart disability as secondary to an acquired psychiatric disability; and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a heart disability due to VA treatment.

The Board denied service connection for low back disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and depressive disorder. The Veteran's current conditions were not related to his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the claims due to insufficient development regarding the Veteran's exposure to non-ionizing radiation from radar equipment, and for a VA examination to determine if his disabilities are related to service.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple conditions including muscle pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, coronary artery disease, joint pain, and gastrointestinal issues. The Board has ordered additional development to obtain relevant VA treatment records and provide medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability and granted service connection for hypertension. Service connection was remanded for COPD and diabetes mellitus/ischemic heart disease.

The Veteran's initial rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the need for additional VA and private treatment records, including those from Dr. M Daniels.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical records and a need for another opinion regarding whether the Veteran's heart disability with triple bypass surgery is related to VA's failure to diagnose or treat his heart condition in the year prior to his December 2012 myocardial infarction.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for coronary artery disease, type II diabetes mellitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder to allow for further development.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, and his service-connected PTSD likely precludes him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board found that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7005.

The Veteran's PTSD with alcohol abuse is rated at 70 percent disabling, and his CAD with residual scar is not entitled to a higher rating. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for hearing loss and prostate swelling.

The Veteran's service connection claim for ischemic heart disease is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicides during his tour in Vietnam and Thailand.

Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for Parkinson’s disease and diabetes mellitus, type II due to herbicide exposure in service is denied.,Service connection for ischemic heart disease due to herbicide exposure in service is denied.,Service connection for hypertension secondary to ischemic heart disease is denied.,Bilateral knee disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), and residuals of spider bite on the right hand are remanded for further examination and opinion.,Service connection for skin condition is remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for vertigo, heart disorder, circulation disorder, kidney disorder (including renal failure), and thyroid disorder are all denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or a relationship to service.,The Veteran's claim for heart disorder is denied because the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that it began during active service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease. The Veteran was not exposed to herbicide agents and ionizing radiation during service.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran has upper extremity peripheral neuropathy. The TDIU claim prior to July 19, 2012 is also being referred to the Director of Compensation Service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment in a sedentary capacity. The Board denied the claim for TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to July 28, 1997, for the grant of service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease was denied as there is no provision in the law for awarding an earlier effective date based solely on the presence of the disability.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The left ankle disability, bilateral hearing loss, heart disability (including congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation), diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities were all remanded for further examination and opinion.