Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2019

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral leg condition and a bilateral hand condition, but granted service connection for hypertension, coronary artery disease, and sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder.,The Veteran was also granted TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's heart disability was granted a 30 percent evaluation since November 29, 2012. The condition manifested with more than 4 episodes of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation or other supraventricular tachycardia per year since that date.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for coronary artery disease prior to June 5, 2014 was denied. From June 5, 2014 onwards, the Veteran's condition is rated at 30 percent due to his workload being greater than 5 METs but not greater than 7 METs and LVEF of 67%. The claim for TDIU was also denied as there is no evidence that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone are sufficient to render him unemployable.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment prior to June 30, 2014. The effective date for TDIU is denied as the Veteran met the schedular requirements for entitlement to TDIU after that date.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a heart disorder and remanded it for further development, including verification of service periods and a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty in the VA examiner's competence regarding cardiology and a need for further development, including obtaining medical opinions.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer residuals, Cushing's syndrome, CAD, hypertension, and type II diabetes mellitus. The claims are being remanded due to inadequate development of evidence regarding exposure to herbicides, asbestos, ionizing radiation, carbon tetrachloride, and other chemicals.

The Veteran's valvular heart disease was not shown in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. The Board found that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether sleep apnea began during service, thus granting service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and ischemic heart disease based on the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicide agents at Ubon RTAFB. The conditions are presumed due to their association with Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for ischemic heart disease is dismissed. The appeals for basic eligibility for Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) and entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) are also dismissed. The Board has remanded the issues of TDIU and SMC benefits due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sinus disability, sleep apnea, and heart disability due to incomplete VA examinations. The AOJ is instructed to schedule the necessary examinations.

Service connection for coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus is granted. Service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, neuropathy of the right lower extremity, and neuropathy of the left lower extremity are remanded.

The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for ischemic heart disease was denied prior to September 8, 2014. From September 8, 2014 to October 8, 2018, a 100% disability rating was granted. Since then, the Veteran's claim has been remanded due to insufficient evidence for a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and coronary artery disease was reopened. Service connection for low back disability is granted with a 40% rating, but not higher.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of coronary artery disease was denied. The Board also remanded the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU).

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or were related to in-service injuries.,Service connection was also denied for benign prostatic hypertrophy/hyperplasia and lower urinary tract symptoms with obstruction. There was no evidence of onset during service or relationship to in-service injuries.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease is currently rated at 30 percent, which reflects a workload of greater than 5 METs but not greater than 7 METs with dyspnea, fatigue, angina, and dizziness. The criteria for a higher rating are not met.

The Board has remanded the claims due to lack of substantial compliance with its December 2017 remand. The AOJ is instructed to contact the Air Force Historical Research Agency and obtain any unit history and supporting documents related to the Veteran's alleged exposure to herbicides while stationed in Guam.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a benign trigeminal schwannoma and a heart condition, finding no evidence to support these claims. The Board concluded that the current conditions are not related to in-service noise exposure or head trauma, nor were they caused by service-connected Meniere’s disease.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease was denied as there is no direct evidence of a nexus to his military service, and the herbicide exposure in Thailand did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.