Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2019

The Board has denied service connection for ischemic heart disease and chloracne. The issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), prostate cancer, and diabetes mellitus are remanded due to the need for further verification of exposure and examination.

The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease is granted due to exposure to Agent Orange during his service in the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea of the Republic of Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for coronary artery disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease, both secondary to posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for headaches, coronary artery disease, generalized anxiety disorder, and hypertension have been denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not submit a claim or new and material evidence within one year of the relevant decisions.,No indication of an attempt to reopen prior claims was found by the Board.

The Veteran's heart condition and prostate cancer are granted service connection. The remaining issues, including back pain, respiratory disability, hypertension, GERD, and psychiatric disorder, are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's cause of death, cardiac arrest, was not related to his military service and therefore the claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for his acquired psychiatric disorder was denied. The Board found that the severity of the Veteran’s anxiety most closely approximated a 70 percent disability rating, but did not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to lack of evidence of gross impairment in thought processes or communication, persistent delusions or hallucinations, grossly inappropriate behavior, persistent danger of hurting self or others, or intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living. The Veteran's claim for TDIU was also denied as there is no evidence showing he is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease and mid-chest scar are being remanded for further evaluation due to the length of time since his last VA examinations. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it may be impacted by the other claims.

Your appeals for service connection and increased ratings have been dismissed due to your withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased disability evaluations for coronary artery disease, rated as 30 percent and 60 percent disabling from specific dates. The claims are not related to service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, coronary artery bypass, diabetes mellitus, polyneuropathy of the extremities, and nephropathy, precluded him from obtaining substantially gainful employment for the period prior to March 5, 2018.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for increased ratings for a heart disability and diabetes mellitus. The appeal of service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to a service-connected disability, is REMANDED. The appeal of an increased rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD is REMANDED. TDIU is granted.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for back disorder, heart disorder, and stroke due to additional evidence being requested.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions including diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, hypertension, stroke, depression, peripheral neuropathy of the lower and upper extremities, arthritis, grand mal seizures, erectile dysfunction, kidney disorder, and lung disorder due to exposure to herbicides and asbestos. The appellant is required to submit new and material evidence to reopen these claims.

The Veteran's heart disability is remanded for further development to verify his exposure to herbicides during service.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is presumed related to his exposure to herbicide agents while serving in the Republic of Vietnam, and thus service connection is granted.

The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his military service at the Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating for coronary artery disease, and the Board dismissed the case as a result.

The Board denied service connection for lung cancer and heart disorder, finding no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other events that could establish a link between the conditions and active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a combined total disability rating greater than 100 percent, finding that his service connected disabilities already warranted a 100% combined rating.