Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2020

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and PTSD, do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment at any time during the appeal period.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD caused or aggravated his fatal illnesses, including acute myocardial infarction, CAD, congestive heart failure and chronic renal failure.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for evaluations greater than 30 percent for hypertensive heart disease and greater than 10 percent for hypertension need to be remanded due to new VA medical records not having been reviewed.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease was rated at 60 percent prior to July 19, 2011 and at 30 percent from July 19, 2011 to August 15, 2019. The appeal for a higher rating is denied.,The Veteran's coronary artery disease was rated at 60 percent from August 15, 2019. The appeal for a higher rating is denied.

The appeal for service connection of a heart condition, including coronary artery disease, is dismissed due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the service member's cause of death, including lung cancer and other conditions listed on his death certificate, was related to exposure to contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for heart condition, vision problems, orthostatic hypotension, and stroke due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The claims are pending further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disorder, finding no current disability and concluding that any chest pain was related to anxiety.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II (DMII) and ischemic heart disease (IHD), both due to exposure to herbicide agents, are granted. The claim for hypertension is remanded as it does not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claims for chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, heart condition, hypertension, right arm shaking (Gulf War Syndrome), left arm shaking (Gulf War Syndrome), dizziness, pain/tenderness on jaw, cheek bones and forehead (myalgia), headaches, sinusitis, non-allergic vasomotor rhinitis, PTSD with associated depression and anxiety, right shoulder pain, left shoulder pain, trochanteric pain syndrome of the right hip, trochanteric pain syndrome of the left hip, degenerative arthritis of the right knee, degenerative arthritis of the left knee, degenerative arthritis of the right ankle with ankle strain and calcaneal spur, left ankle strain, cervical spondylosis, lumbosacral strain, erectile dysfunction (Gulf War Syndrome), and tonsillitis have all been denied.,The Veteran's service connection claims for chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, heart condition, hypertension, right arm shaking (Gulf War Syndrome), left arm shaking (Gulf War Syndrome), dizziness, pain/tenderness on jaw, cheek bones and forehead (myalgia), headaches, sinusitis, non-allergic vasomotor rhinitis, PTSD with associated depression and anxiety, right shoulder pain, left shoulder pain, trochanteric pain syndrome of the right hip, trochanteric pain syndrome of the left hip, degenerative arthritis of the right knee, degenerative arthritis of the left knee, degenerative arthritis of the right ankle with ankle strain and calcaneal spur, left ankle strain, cervical spondylosis, lumbosacral strain, erectile dysfunction (Gulf War Syndrome), and tonsillitis have all been denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cardiovascular disorder, including coronary artery disease, as secondary to his service-connected hypertension. The evidence is at least in equipoise that the Veteran's heart disease is related to his service-connected hypertension.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including rheumatic fever and coronary artery disease, finding that there is no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for prostate cancer and ischemic heart disease are granted due to herbicide exposure during service. The Board found that the Veteran had sufficient evidence of herbicide exposure, leading to presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, stroke, and heart disability are remanded due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran is also entitled to a maximum schedular rating of 50 percent for migraine headaches.

The Board has remanded the claim for an initial rating higher than 10 percent for ischemic heart disease due to incomplete compliance with prior remand directives. The AOJ is required to obtain and associate all outstanding records scanned into VISTA related to vascular lab consultations from November 2012 to July 2018.

The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has remanded the claim for further development due to inadequate opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected depression and ischemic heart disease with history of bypass graft, and his erectile dysfunction.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and the need for an addendum opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for Ischemic Heart Disease prior to December 3, 2019 is being remanded due to incomplete records. The VA needs to obtain the February 24, 2014 echocardiogram test results and any follow-up appointment records from the Orlando VA Medical Center.