Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions including lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, a heart condition, hypertension, colon cancer, and scar tissue surgery residuals. The VA is instructed to obtain information from SSA regarding any disability benefits the Veteran may have received.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and coronary artery disease, have prevented him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment since November 30, 2006. The Board has granted a TDIU effective that date.

The Veteran's period of service from November 3, 1965 to April 24, 1970 is considered a bar due to his AWOL for over 180 days.,Claims for service connection were denied for various conditions including low back disability, ischemic heart disease, urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected heart disease is rated at 100 percent effective February 12, 2017 and for three months thereafter. SMC housebound benefits are granted from February 12, 2017 to May 31, 2017.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease with ischemic cardiomyopathy are granted as service connected due to herbicide exposure during his active military service in Korea.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, coronary artery disease, stroke, and carotid artery disease. The decision is remanded due to insufficient evidence of a current diagnosis or relationship between these conditions and service.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to address the Veteran's new theory of entitlement regarding exposure to arsenic, benzene, DDT, and an unknown substance used to reduce Hantavirus in service. The AOJ must develop this claim and provide a medical opinion on the etiology of the claimed disabilities.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims for service connection, including reopening of claims for arthritis of the feet (also claimed as gout), residuals of fractured ankles, loss of vision/eyesight, and heart condition. The spine disability and bilateral leg condition are also being remanded due to their inextricability with other disabilities.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability, lung disability, back pain, hypertension, GERD, prostate cancer, and acquired psychiatric disorder are not service connected. The case is being remanded to obtain verification of herbicide exposure in Korea and to clarify the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim of CUE in a 1987 rating decision denying TDIU is being remanded due to the pending appeal for a higher initial rating for CAD, which could impact the TDIU issue.

The Board has not decided the service connection claims for left leg and low back disabilities. The Veteran's appeal to reopen his claims of myopia, heart disability, and prostate cancer is denied due to lack of new and material evidence. Service connection for depression was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him in need of regular aid and attendance or confine him substantially to his dwelling and immediate premises, thus denying special monthly compensation benefits.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating of diabetes mellitus is denied, and his claim for service connection for blurred vision secondary to diabetes is remanded due to the lack of relevant medical records.

The Veteran's claim for residuals of eye burns is reopened and granted.,Bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connected due to in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for a heart disability and DM II are denied, presumed based on herbicide exposure during service.,Glaucoma secondary to DM II is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to October 8, 2013, for a 100 percent disability rating for ischemic heart disease is remanded due to the need to obtain his private medical records from Dr. R. L.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea, including as secondary to PTSD. The case is being sent back for a VA examination to determine if the sleep apnea is related to his active duty service or any service-connected conditions, and whether it is caused by medications used to treat other conditions.

The Veteran's service connection for ischemic heart disease is granted due to exposure to herbicide agents during his service aboard the USS Vega in Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to a failure to provide adequate notice of relevant private treatment records.

The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease as there was no in-service incurrence and the Veteran did not set foot on landmass of Vietnam, thus failing to meet presumptive exposure criteria. The claim is denied.

The Veteran's rheumatic heart disease rating is being remanded due to the need for a new examination. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the increased rating claim.