Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2019

The Veteran's death was attributed to respiratory failure due to COPD, congestive heart disease, and peripheral vascular disease. The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion regarding whether his coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus type II contributed to his cause of death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disability and obstructive sleep apnea need to be remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors regarding the causes or aggravations of these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in the loss or loss of use of a hand or foot, permanent vision impairment of both eyes, severe burn injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ankylosis of a knee or hip. Therefore, he is not eligible for financial assistance for an automobile and adaptive equipment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability and hypertension, both claimed as secondary to PTSD, is granted. The claims are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's cause of death and his heart condition are related to service, but needs further development including obtaining medical opinions and verifying service records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and Parkinson's disease due to herbicide exposure. The evidence did not support a finding of herbicide exposure during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied across multiple conditions, including hearing loss, psychiatric disabilities, back and leg conditions, heart condition, foot conditions, sleep apnea, migraine headaches, gastrointestinal issues, eye conditions, erectile dysfunction, and heat prostration. The Board found no evidence of a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work experience. The Board has granted the Veteran's TDIU claim.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary regarding the Veteran's appeal of the initial rating assigned for coronary artery disease (CAD). The AOJ must make inquiry as to whether there may be relevant outstanding Social Security Administration records. If new records are obtained, they will be considered in readjudicating the initial rating assigned for CAD and determining if TDIU is warranted on an extra-schedular basis.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection and rating determinations related to multiple conditions, including left leg numbness, medial collateral ligament tear, abdominal aneurism, heart condition, kidney stones, and prostate condition.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his service-connected ischemic heart disease is denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show the condition had onset prior to January 23, 2012.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disorder and prostate cancer were denied. The Board found no current disability of these conditions at any point pertinent to the pendency of his claim, thus denying service connection. For LLE and RLE neuropathy, the Veteran was granted initial ratings of 20 percent each but denied requests for higher ratings or earlier effective dates.

The Board has vacated the February 28, 2019 decision of the RO in St. Louis, Missouri and Indianapolis, Indiana regarding TDIU due to violation of due process rights by not discussing a vocational specialist's opinion. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted reopening of the claim for service connection for PTSD and has granted service connection for PTSD. However, the issue of service connection for ischemic heart disease is remanded due to a lack of examination.

The Veteran's care at Capital Regional Medical Center was for a service-connected condition (coronary artery disease) and an emergency medical situation. The treatment was deemed necessary due to the Veteran's history of myocardial infarctions, recent stent placement, and hypotension. As all conditions for payment under 38 U.S.C. § 1728 were met, the claim is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss is reopened, and he is granted service connection. For the period prior to April 6, 2017, his TDIU is granted based on multiple service-connected disabilities. From April 6, 2017 onwards, the issue of TDIU is moot due to a combined schedular evaluation of 100 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart disease diagnosed as aortic stenosis is due to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's ureterolithiasis is rated at 30 percent. The claims for service connection of lumbar spine disability, right arm and shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, sleep apnea, and heart disability (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.