Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2021

The Veteran's respiratory disability, as currently diagnosed, is granted. A total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is granted. The Veteran's service connection for ischemic heart disease and neck disability are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for CAD, diabetes mellitus, left upper extremity neuropathy, right upper extremity neuropathy, left lower extremity neuropathy and right lower extremity neuropathy due to exposure to Agent Orange during service in Korea.,The Veteran's testimony at a Board hearing and lay statements indicate he was exposed to commercial herbicides used for clearing foliage around the perimeter of his base in Korea.

The Board has reopened the previously denied claim of service connection for enlarged prostate (other than prostate cancer) due to herbicide exposure. The heart disease issue is also remanded for further development and readjudication.

The Board has granted service connection for a heart disability that is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hepatitis C.

The Veteran meets the schedular requirements for TDIU and his service-connected disabilities are so severe as to preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the claims for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and headaches due to potential errors in the duty to assist. The cervical spine disability claim remains denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD), and bilateral hearing loss. The claim of service connection for a 'neurological issues' was recharacterized as Parkinson's disease and granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) with a history of myocardial infarction, finding that there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure in service and insufficient medical evidence to link CAD to service.

The Veteran's appeal for SMC based on aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities is remanded as there was a pre-decisional duty to assist error. A VA examination is required to determine if the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him helpless or require regular aid and attendance of another person.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's hypertension, secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder, is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity diffuse atherosclerotic disease, secondary to his service-connected hypertension, is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's CAD, secondary to his service-connected hypertension, is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's cervical spine disorder is denied as not related to active service.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that there was no evidence of a heart condition or nervous condition in service and thus no service connection is granted.

The Veteran's service in Korea exposed him to herbicide agents, leading to the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2, coronary artery disease (CAD), and prostate cancer.

The Board has granted service connection for atrial fibrillation and assigned a rating of 10 percent effective March 21, 2019. The veteran's claim for an increased rating for ischemic heart disease was denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient information regarding his exposure to herbicide agents in Guam. The Veteran served in Guam from November 1968 to May 1970, and he contends that he was exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during this time.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal before a decision was made.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to ambiguities in previous opinions and the need to clarify whether the Veteran's heart condition is related to his service, including any exposures he experienced during service in Southwest Asia.

The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for CAD post MI, which was granted on May 30, 2016.,He also seeks an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, which he contends should be secondary to his diabetes mellitus.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's motion to revise a June 2013 rating decision concerning an earlier effective date for service-connected heart disease, as his prior appeal of this issue had been resolved by the Court in December 2016.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea syndrome, finding that there is no evidence linking her current condition to her military service or any service-connected conditions. The examiner concluded that her OSA was not caused by or aggravated by her service-connected HTN, CAD, and/or MDD.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's service connection claims for CAD, DM2, GERD, HTN, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to new and material evidence. The claims are remanded for further development regarding exposure to herbicides during service.