Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the issue of reducing the Veteran's rating for coronary heart disease from 100 percent to 60 percent effective January 1, 2010 due to insufficient development regarding when any change in degree of impairment first occurred.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for his heart disabilities, including ischemic heart disease and atrial fibrillation. The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of ischemic heart disease or any other heart disability related to service, including herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete compliance with a previous remand directive. The heart disability claim is being returned for further evaluation, and the anoxic brain injury claim is inextricably intertwined with the heart disability claim.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease, including as due to herbicide (Agent Orange) exposure, is granted. The condition meets the criteria for presumptive service connection under VA regulations.

The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease is granted due to his exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in the Republic of Vietnam.

The appeals for earlier effective dates for service connection and disability ratings have been dismissed as the claims were satisfied by prior decisions.,The appeal for SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ has also been dismissed.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of service connection for heart condition and diabetes mellitus due to insufficient medical opinions on their etiology.

The Veteran's appeals for various conditions were dismissed due to their death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been dismissed due to lack of appeal. The Board has granted a 60 percent disability rating for asbestosis, effective from July 21, 2015, and denied an increased rating for ischemic heart disease.

The Veteran's heart disorder is not service connected due to lack of evidence showing it was incurred in or aggravated by his military service. The Board denied a rating in excess of 70 percent for chronic adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression, as well as effective dates prior to May 23, 2007 for the grants of service connection.

The Board dismissed the appeals for hypertension and coronary artery disease as they are no longer relevant due to the appellant's death.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for the Veteran's heart disability or left shoulder disability, as both conditions are considered direct and not secondary to any service-connected condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition was denied. The Board found no evidence of a current heart condition related to service.,For the right shoulder disability, an initial rating of 30% was granted prior to August 8, 2019, and this rating is maintained with limitation on higher ratings.

The Board has decided to remand this case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a posthumous VA medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's in-service chemical exposure and his death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his service-connected conditions did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for a heart disorder and diabetes mellitus, type II as the evidence did not show that these conditions were incurred in or related to active duty.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for heart disability, kidney disability, and liver disability due to inadequate opinions regarding their relationship to military service. The VA is required to provide additional medical opinions addressing these issues.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease renders him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, leading to the grant of a TDIU.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction is currently rated at 10 percent, and the issues of increased ratings for diffuse sensorimotor neuropathy in both upper extremities prior to September 24, 2019 are being remanded.,For the right and left upper extremity diffuse sensorimotor neuropathy prior to September 24, 2019, the Veteran is rated at 20 percent. The issues of increased ratings for diffuse sensorimotor neuropathy in both lower extremities prior to June 22, 2017 are being remanded.