Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and clarification of medical opinions regarding the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including coronary artery disease, coronary artery bypass graft scar residuals, right lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

The Board has dismissed all issues of service connection due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent prior to February 11, 2020, and in excess of 30 percent thereafter for coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as his claim for service connection for hypertension due to herbicide exposure or secondary to service-connected CAD, are being remanded for further review.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death prior to a final decision. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal at this time.

The Board has granted service connection for Parkinson's disease, vascular dementia, COPD, and a heart disability (claimed as syncope) due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The claims for these conditions are remanded for additional development.

The Board denied service connection for chloracne or other acne-form disease and ischemic heart disease, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support a current disability or its development within one year of return from Vietnam. The secondary claim for cerebral infarction and transient ischemic attack was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD was denied as the preponderance of evidence did not support a link between his current condition and his military service.,Service connection for headaches was also denied, with the Board finding that there is no credible evidence linking the Veteran’s current headache diagnosis to his service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease, including due to herbicide exposure, should be remanded because there are potential relevant outstanding VA and private treatment records. The VA must obtain these records.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is currently rated at 60 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as there is no evidence of chronic congestive heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction less than 30 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions including bilateral elbow, wrist, knee disorders, a heart disorder, and a low back disorder due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated during his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and higher ratings were denied. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for gastric reflux, hypertension, heart condition (cardiomegaly), right foot plantar fasciitis, and TDIU.

The Veteran's cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest and ischemic heart disease. The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his service, including exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease resulted in exercise tolerance limited to 3-5 METs, with symptoms of dyspnea and fatigue. The Board granted a disability rating of 60 percent for the condition prior to April 15, 2019.

The Veteran's claims for muscle deterioration, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), heart condition, syncopal episodes, fibromyalgia, memory loss, and neurological condition are dismissed as the claim is considered duplicative.,The Veteran's claims for CFS, a heart condition, syncopal episodes, fibromyalgia, memory loss, and a neurological condition to include tremors and/or Parkinson's disease are denied. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions occurred in service or were caused by exposure to Gulf War environmental hazards.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability, finding that there was no current diagnosis of a heart condition and thus failing to meet one of the key elements required for service connection.

The Board has dismissed all pending appeals due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his claims.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for CAD prior to March 24, 2018 and a rating in excess of 30 percent for CAD since that date.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease (CAD), status post stent, stable.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed in order to properly decide the claims, including obtaining relevant medical records and addressing the etiology of the Veteran's aortic valve stenosis.