Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for heart disease, hypertension, sleep apnea, peripheral artery disease, and diabetes due to insufficient evidence on record.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding the precise diagnosis and nature of the Veteran's heart disorder, as well as whether it was caused or aggravated by his active service.

The Veteran's heart disabilities are being remanded for further evaluation due to insufficient rationale in the previous opinion and the need for additional medical evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's heart disability is secondary to his service-connected obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to potential exposure to herbicide agents during his military service. The case will be reviewed again with a focus on verifying if the Veteran was part of an Air Force squadron permanently assigned to C-123 aircraft, which could support his claim.

The Veteran's CAD is rated at 60 percent since March 18, 2013. The claim for a higher rating remains denied.,DMII is currently rated at 20 percent and the criteria for a higher rating are not met.,Bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve is rated at 20 percent since November 18, 2014. The claim for higher ratings remains denied.,Bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the femoral nerve is rated at 20 percent since November 18, 2014. The claim for higher ratings remains denied.,The effective date for service connection for CAD has been set to March 18, 2013.,The effective date for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve has been set to November 18, 2014.,The effective date for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the femoral nerve has been set to November 18, 2014.

The Veteran is granted total disability due to individual unemployability from November 26, 2019.,Obstructive sleep apnea was not found to be secondary to service-connected conditions and the claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 30, 2018 for the award of service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) was remanded due to lack of definitive records from Irvine Hospital regarding his abdominal aortic aneurysm repair and PCI procedure in 2010.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the Veteran's need for aid and attendance.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, hypertension (secondary to coronary artery disease), shortness of breath (secondary to coronary artery disease), valvular heart disease (secondary to coronary artery disease), and cardiac dysrhythmia (secondary to coronary artery disease) are all granted due to exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents at U-Tapao base in Thailand, which is considered presumptive for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Veteran's appeals for heart disease and gastrointestinal conditions have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Veteran's SMC (r)(2) benefits for need of aid and attendance are granted, effective March 31, 2015. The RO failed to apply the correct rate due to a LCR error in applying asbestosis and coronary artery disease.

The Board has decided to remand the service connection claims for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and bilateral lower extremity venous insufficiency as secondary to the service-connected asbestosis. The VA medical opinion provided prior to the rating decision is inadequate.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings on his coronary artery disease, migraine headaches, and diabetes mellitus type II have been dismissed as moot due to the submission of a timely NOD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him so helpless as to require the regular aid and attendance of another person to perform personal care functions of everyday living or to protect him from the hazards and dangers incident to his daily environment, leading to a grant of SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and secondary service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) as a result of the Veteran's hypertension. The decision is based on clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran did not have hypertension prior to service, but it worsened during service.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for his service-connected coronary artery disease status post myocardial infarction is remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination. The Veteran will be scheduled for a new VA examination to determine the current severity of his heart condition.

The Veteran's prostate cancer was denied service connection as it manifested more than one year after separation and is not shown to be causally related to an in-service injury or disease. The claims for psychiatric, heart, cervical spine, low back, bilateral shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, and foot disabilities are remanded due to the failure to obtain examinations and opinions concerning their etiology.

The Board denied service connection for a heart disability, including arteriosclerotic heart disease (CAD), finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of non-obstructive coronary artery disease does not meet the criteria for ischemic heart disease and is not related to service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for a pulmonary condition, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and cirrhosis of liver.