Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2019

Service connection for diarrhea is granted, and an initial 30 percent rating for PTSD is granted.,An initial 60 percent rating for ischemic heart disease is granted. The claim of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is denied as the Veteran was in remission at the time of his appeal. The claim of scar associated with coronary artery bypass graft is denied.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and GERD, but granted service connection for a heart disability. The decision did not address the claim of service connection for sleep apnea.

The Veteran's sarcoidosis is granted service connection, and her back, left knee, right knee, and right shoulder disabilities are denied. The heart disability and left shoulder disability claims are also denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was initially rated as noncompensable prior to March 28, 2017 and now receives a 10 percent rating from that date forward.,The Veteran’s hypertension is not service-connected. The VA examiner opined it is less likely than not caused by or related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's request to reopen previously denied claim for bilateral hearing loss is granted. The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received, allowing the reopening of his service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss. Additionally, the Board has found that a VA examination is required to determine if the Veteran’s current heart disabilities and skin disorders are related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for heart disability, prostate cancer, and type II diabetes mellitus as there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease, and the Veteran did not have exposure to herbicide agents. The preponderance of the evidence showed that these conditions were not related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for his heart disability, finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated by service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year after discharge. The Board also found no evidence of continuity of symptomatology.

The appeal for a TDIU is remanded due to the failure to ensure substantial compliance with previous remand directives and consideration of evidence favorable to the Veteran. The Board will need to obtain an updated opinion regarding the collective impact of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities on his ability to function in an occupational environment.

The Veteran's appeals for higher evaluations and earlier effective dates for service-connected disabilities have been dismissed. The Board has also remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for glaucoma, sleep apnea, coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, and kidney disease.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition claimed as ischemic heart disease due to exposure to Agent Orange is denied. The claims for service connection for diabetic retinopathy and peripheral neuropathy, left and right upper extremities, are remanded.

The Veteran's service records do not show any diagnosis of Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) or Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Right Neck. The Board finds that there is no current disability for IHD and denies this claim.,Regarding Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Right Neck, the Veteran was diagnosed in 2009 but has not had any recurrence since treatment. The Board does not find evidence to support a connection between Agent Orange exposure and the cancer.

The Veteran's subjective movement disorder, manifested by spasms and jerking in the left upper and lower extremities and swelling in the left lower extremity, is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The rating for residuals of shell fragment wound of the posterior left chest remains at 40 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by his in-service exposure to toxic chemicals, including Scotchal, which contributed substantially or materially to his cause of death.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50% effective May 20, 2016. A TDIU rating is granted effective May 20, 2016.

The petition to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a rash of the bilateral legs is denied.,The petition to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for ischemic heart disease (IHD) is denied.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for a heart disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD have been dismissed. The appeal concerning his back disability has been remanded, as well as the bilateral leg disability and sleep apnea.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for tinnitus, CAD, and gastritis need to be remanded due to incomplete STRs and missing military personnel records. The claim for gastritis must also be remanded as it requires a direct service connection opinion.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection and effective date claims related to TBI residuals, headache disability, thoracolumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, coronary artery disease, PTSD with depressive disorder, and left eyebrow scar residuals. The issues of increased ratings for coronary artery disease and PTSD with depressive disorder; and entitlement to total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) are remanded.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary due to the unavailability of service treatment records and the need for further verification of in-service stressors related to PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and arteriosclerotic heart disease, finding no evidence of herbicide exposure or direct service connection.