Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2020

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including nasal deviation, right great toe disorder, heart disorder, gastritis, and sinusitis. The Board also denied service connection for radiculopathy in the upper and lower extremities.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than March 16, 2018, for a 100% rating for service-connected multi-vessel coronary artery disease was denied as there were no legal grounds to support the assignment of such an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's death was caused by a disease presumed to be related to his service, specifically exposure to herbicide agents. Service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for residuals of a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), including as secondary to diabetes mellitus and/or coronary artery disease, and whether it is related to herbicide exposure. The decision will be reconsidered due to inadequate medical opinions on aggravation and direct service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition secondary to his service-connected larynx cancer (due to radiation treatments) has been reopened and granted.,Service connection for bradycardia status post permanent pacemaker (PPM), as secondary to treatment for service-connected total laryngectomy, is also granted.

The Board denied an increased rating for coronary artery disease (CAD) in excess of 30 percent from January 3, 2001 to April 8, 2004 and granted a 60 percent rating from April 9, 2004 to September 18, 2006. The Board also denied an increased rating for CAD in excess of 30 percent from January 1, 2007 to July 10, 2008 and from August 1, 2009 to October 16, 2011. An increased rating in excess of 60 percent was denied for periods from October 17, 2011 to December 2, 2013 and from February 1, 2014.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to additional development being necessary.

The Veteran's claim for obesity is dismissed. The claims of service connection for CAD, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension are granted to the extent that new evidence has been received supporting these claims. Other issues remain pending.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, heart disability, and tinnitus. The hearing loss claim is remanded due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease was granted with an effective date of November 21, 2018. The Board denied the claims for earlier effective dates and SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus, tinnitus, left knee pain, right knee pain, heart disorder (ischemic heart disease), bilateral hearing loss, and back disorder are all granted. The claim for service connection for a right shoulder disorder is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities due to herbicide exposure. The Veteran's conditions are presumed to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's initial tinnitus rating of 10 percent is denied as his symptoms do not warrant a higher evaluation.,The Veteran's PTSD with other specified depressive disorder rating of 50 percent is denied as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's CAD rating of 60 percent is denied as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected coronary artery disease, status-post myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass graft.

The Veteran was granted TDIU from February 16, 2012 to July 5, 2018 due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for heart disease and hypertension due to new evidence added to the record, including annual examinations indicating high blood pressure during service.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, unspecified depressive disorder, is granted. The issues of service connection for alcohol abuse as secondary to service-connected PTSD and obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to alcohol abuse and service-connected PTSD are remanded. Service connection for hypertension due to service-connected disabilities (including diabetes mellitus) and herbicide exposure is also remanded. Service connection for a skin disorder due to herbicide exposure is remanded. The issue of entitlement to an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD is remanded. TDIU is also remanded.

The Veteran's service connection claims for aphasia, coronary artery disease, diabetes, glaucoma, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, left lower extremity, right upper extremity, left upper extremity, peripheral vascular disease of the right lower extremity, left lower extremity, right upper extremity, and left upper extremity are all denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for prostate cancer is also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for Ischemic Heart Disease was granted in a January 2020 rating decision, resulting in the full grant of the benefit sought. As this represents a full grant of the benefit sought, the issue is no longer before the Board.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for coronary artery disease prior to November 4, 2019 is denied as there is no evidence of chronic congestive heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction less than 30 percent.