Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, heart disorder, diabetes mellitus type II, and hypertension have been reopened. Service connection has been granted for tinnitus but the other conditions remain pending as they are being remanded.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions were denied in the past, but new and material evidence has been submitted. The Board is granting these claims as secondary to other service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of heart disease and diabetes mellitus for further development. For heart disease, a medical opinion is needed on whether it is at least as likely as not related to in-service chemical exposures. For diabetes mellitus, if herbicide agent exposure is verified, a new and material evidence claim will be considered; otherwise, a medical opinion will address the etiology of diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connected. The claims for ischemic heart disease and prostate cancer due to herbicide exposure are denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disorder has been reopened, and the Board finds that new and significant evidence supports this reopening. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The claim of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for coronary artery disease (CAD) is remanded.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is presumed to be associated with herbicide exposure during service. However, his ischemic heart disease and valvular heart disease are not considered due to service connection.

The Board denied the petitions to reopen claims of service connection for various conditions, including pulmonary embolism, deep venous thrombosis, skin disease, ischemic heart disease, and leukopenia. The evidence did not establish a nexus between any of these conditions and service or Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the Veteran's heart disability and pre-existing cardiac disabilities. The VA will need to provide addendum opinions from a medical examiner.

The Veteran's heart disorder and diabetes mellitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during service or for many years thereafter. The Board found that the Veteran did not have herbicide exposure while stationed in Thailand.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions have been denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the claimed conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's heart disorder was not shown in service or for many years thereafter, and is not otherwise etiologically related to active duty service. Service connection for a heart disorder is denied.

The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease and hypertension, finding that the conditions were not shown as chronic in service or within a presumptive period, did not manifest to a compensable degree within a presumptive period, and were not noted in service with attributable continuity of symptomatology.

The Veteran's service-connected defective hearing was found to be noncompensable, and he is granted a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities. The effective date for the TDIU will be determined by the AOJ.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for Ischemic Heart Disease, Diabetes Mellitus Type II, bilateral lower extremity neuropathy, and hypertension due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The Board found no exposure to herbicides in Korea and thus could not apply the presumptive provisions.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, a heart disorder, a kidney disorder, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities as there was no evidence of in-service disease or injury, and the Veteran did not have exposure to herbicide agents. The claims were based on direct service connection.

The Board has found that new examinations are needed for the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and coronary artery disease due to their potential worsening since previous evaluations. The issues of a higher rating for these conditions, as well as the claim for TDIU, will be remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The cases of low back disability, heart disability, skin cancer and psoriasis, and diabetes mellitus, type II are all remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a headache disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral shoulder disorder due to new evidence. The heart disorder claim remains denied.

The Board denied service connection for ischemic stroke, finding that the evidence does not support a finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is rated at 100% effective October 3, 2018.