Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disability and brain bleed, with an emphasis on obtaining additional medical opinions to address the relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for a heart disability and DM due to herbicide exposure. The remaining issues of service connection for neuropathy, left upper extremity; right upper extremity; and psychiatric disability (PTSD) are remanded.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and a heart condition due to new evidence received since March 2015. The claims are now remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ED was granted, and the Board also remanded issues regarding abdominal aortic aneurysm, diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease.

The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease, finding no current disability and insufficient evidence to establish a link between the condition and service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his bilateral hearing loss. The initial rating for Coronary Artery Disease remains denied.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for ischemic heart disease was granted, with a final effective date of October 13, 2018. The current evaluation is 60 percent, and no higher.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for heart disease, including ischemic heart disease due to in-service herbicide exposure. The evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran now has silent myocardial ischemia.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease due to herbicide exposure is granted with an effective date of March 7, 2002.

The Board has remanded the claims for prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities due to herbicide exposure. The Veteran's service in Korea is not presumed due to his unit being near the DMZ, but a request for verification of actual exposure will be made.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current heart conditions and his military service. The Board noted that the Veteran had not provided lay reports of an in-service injury related to his claimed heart condition except for exposure to herbicides, but conceded this exposure. The Board found that the most probative evidence did not support a connection between the Veteran's diagnosed conditions and his in-service exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for heart condition and hypertension due to a lack of an addendum opinion addressing whether these conditions are related to conceded herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment, thus the claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is denied.

The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the residuals of right knee surgery, finding that the proximate cause of additional disabilities was not due to VA's carelessness, negligence, or similar instance of fault.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death due to ischemic heart disease and Cerebrovascular accident (CVA), finding no probative medical evidence linking these conditions to his service or service-connected PTSD with alcohol abuse.

The Board has granted the petitions to reopen claims for service connection for residuals from a right ankle fracture with torn ligaments, torn left ankle ligament, and coronary artery disease. The underlying claims are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU consideration and his service-connected disabilities prevent him from maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, heart disability, neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, right knee disability, and back disability as there was no evidence of in-service onset or nexus to active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease, finding that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure and insufficient evidence to establish a link between his current condition and service.

The Veteran's appeal is partially granted, with a 30 percent disability rating for rheumatic heart disease effective September 25, 2015. The issue of service connection for a neck disorder remains pending and requires further development.,Service connection for the Veteran’s neck disorder will be remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its etiology.