Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus, left knee condition, right knee condition, heart condition, and hypertension due to unresolved issues regarding their onset during active duty.

The Board has granted an initial rating of 60 percent for CAD, but the issue of entitlement to a TDIU on schedular basis is remanded due to incomplete development.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's respiratory disorder is not related to his in-service pneumonia, and cold injury residuals are also not related to his in-service exposure to extreme cold temperatures.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease was rated at 30% from October 2, 2012 to February 24, 2014 and granted a 60% rating as of February 25, 2014. The claim for TDIU due to the service-connected coronary artery disease is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, diabetes mellitus, type II, and ischemic heart disease have been granted due to exposure to herbicides during his service in Thailand. The conditions are presumed under the law.

The Veteran's service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease is granted. A 10 percent rating is granted for bilateral hearing loss prior to February 6, 2019, and a 30 percent rating is granted from that date onwards.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for financial assistance for automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment, as his conditions do not result in loss of use of a hand or foot, permanent impairment of both eyes, severe burn injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ankylosis of a knee or hip.

The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease is granted due to exposure to herbicide agents while serving in Thailand.

The Board has granted service connection for a right ankle disability, but the claims for high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, Type II, heart disease, and headaches are remanded due to insufficient medical evidence.

The Board has decided to remand three issues: service connection for birth defects of the fingers of both hands, service connection for arthritis, and service connection for a heart condition (secondary to birth defects of the fingers of both hands).

The Veteran's service connection claim for a kidney condition is denied. The appeal for an increased rating for coronary artery disease, prior to February 28, 2018 and thereafter on an extraschedular basis, is also denied.

An earlier effective date of May 21, 2012 for the award of a 70% rating for PTSD is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 60% rating for ischemic heart disease is also denied.

The Veteran's valvular heart disease is rated at a 60 percent disability rating, effective December 29, 2014. The condition was diagnosed with left ventricular ejection fraction of 50 to 55 percent in an echocardiogram conducted on that date.

The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease, finding that the Veteran's claim was not previously denied based on a lack of evidence of herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The claim is now considered on its merits.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for ischemic heart disease and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to unresolved issues regarding the severity of his service-connected IHD.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability was denied due to lack of evidence of disease or injury in service. The claim is not reopened as new and material evidence has not been received.,Service connection for PTSD and major depressive disorder cannot be established as the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD, which requires a specific stressor event. Major depressive disorder was diagnosed but there is no link to service or an in-service stressor.,The Veteran's skin disability (presumably seborrheic dermatitis and actinic keratoses) is presumed due to exposure to herbicide agents during service.,There is no evidence of a bilateral shoulder disability at any time during the pendency of the claim. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran has a current disability or that it is related to service.,Diabetes mellitus was not present in service and there is no link between diabetes and service, including exposure to herbicide agents.,The bilateral eye disability (presumably macular disease, cataracts, and presbyopia) is presumed due to exposure to herbicide agents during service. There is no evidence of a current disability or that it is related to service.,There is no evidence of a bilateral knee disability at any time during the pendency of the claim. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran has a current disability or that it is related to service.,The lumbosacral strain was not present in service and there is no link between the condition and service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, finding that his chronic atrial fibrillation did not have its onset in service and is not related to service, including exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has granted service connection for GERD as secondary to PTSD with alcoholism, but has remanded the issue of service connection for CAD due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to June 20, 2005 was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the threshold requirement for TDIU as of September 11, 2003 due to his employment with the United States Postal Service at least until June 19, 2005. The claim for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for hypertensive heart disease was remanded.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to his service-connected coronary artery disease (CAD). The evidence shows that the Veteran’s erectile dysfunction is at least as likely as not caused by his now service-connected CAD.