Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to incomplete examination reports and the need for additional development of the record.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for ischemic heart disease due to confusion with multiple rating decisions and unclear effective dates.

The Veteran's heart disability is granted a 100 percent rating prior to February 3, 2015. The claim for increased ratings of diabetes mellitus and diabetic neuropathy in all four extremities is denied. SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for his heart condition, finding that the evidence did not support a link between his current heart conditions and his service or any service-connected condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date of August 11, 2014 for his TDIU award due to insufficient evidence showing he was unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to that date.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, PTSD, and peripheral neuropathies, prevented him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment from August 12, 2015, to February 6, 2019. As a result, the Board granted a TDIU during this period.

The Veteran's IHD, cervical spine degenerative arthritis and associated neck scars, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, and TDIU were granted effective January 27, 2017.,SMC at the housebound rate was not granted due to lack of additional service-connected disabilities independently ratable at 60% or more.

The Board has granted a 100 percent evaluation for the Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that his workload of 1 to 3 METs resulting in fatigue meets the criteria for such an evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his service connection claim for coronary artery disease, finding that new and material evidence did not relate the current condition to service or radiation exposure.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus II, hypertension, gout, and erectile dysfunction have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to in-service injury or disease.,No VA examination was required as there is no indication of an event, injury, or disease occurring in service, nor any chronic disease manifesting within one year after service discharge. The Veteran's STRs show normal clinical evaluations at service separation and the first documented findings for CAD, diabetes, hypertension, and gout occurred decades after service.,The Veteran's lay statements about exposure to herbicides are not credible as they do not provide details of when or where he was exposed, nor are they corroborated by his military personnel records. The Board does not find any evidence of in-service injury or disease that could be linked to the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal with respect to all issues before the Board.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand during his service. The appellant needs to provide more details or a records search is needed.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further development and evaluation of the Veteran's coronary artery disease (CAD) prior to October 31, 2019. The issues include seeking a higher initial rating for CAD and determining if TDIU is warranted.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and hypertensive heart disease (HHD) as secondary to his service-connected hypertension. The decision is based on evidence of in-service noise exposure leading to current bilateral hearing loss, onset of hypertension during service, and causation of HHD from hypertension.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion to determine if diagnosed psychiatric disorders are related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and further requests for records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease with angina, status post-MI was denied as new and material evidence had not been received. The Board also remanded the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer, coronary artery disease (CAD), neuropathy, and erectile dysfunction (ED) as secondary to prostate cancer. The Veteran's exposure to herbicides is not presumed due to lack of evidence and the absence of a factual foundation.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and heart disability, finding that there is no evidence to support a direct or secondary relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and initial disability ratings have been remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.