Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2021

The Veteran's service at Royal Thai Air Force Base U-Tapao and other bases in Thailand, including his temporary duty in Vietnam, is presumed to have exposed him to herbicide agents. His current diagnosis of ischemic heart disease/coronary artery disease meets the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Board denied service connection for lung cancer, liver bile duct cancer, heart disease, and diabetes mellitus type II (DM) as these conditions are not related to the Veteran's military service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for examinations addressing his service-connected disabilities and their impact on employment.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of the assigned ratings for coronary artery disease, finding that the Veteran's condition did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under Diagnostic Code 7005.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to substantially comply with an April 2019 Memorandum Decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC). Specifically, VA was not able to locate all of the Veteran's service treatment records and personnel records under an alternative Social Security number beginning with 324.

The Board denied service connection for lung disorder (COPD) and heart disorder (CAD), finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and active duty service or exposure to asbestos.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected dermatomyositis and heart conditions, which manifested in service, were proximate causes of his fatal coronary artery disease. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and verifying the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange. The cause of death is being considered based on presumed Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has denied service connection for hypertension, a heart disability, sleep apnea, and headaches. The Veteran's tension headaches are now granted.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of hypertensive heart disease with left ventricular hypertrophy associated with essential hypertension is denied. The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for a sleep disorder, to include as secondary to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for ischemic heart disease and prostate cancer due to potential herbicide exposure during service. The AOJ is instructed to verify the Veteran's assertions of exposure in Guam and at Westover Air Force Base.

The Veteran's heart disability with associated shortness of breath is granted as service-connected, with the Board finding that it is etiologically related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of CUE in the February 2011 rating decision that granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and assigned a 10 percent disability rating effective August 15, 2007 and a 100 percent disability rating effective January 10, 2011.

The Veteran's PTSD rating is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher than 70 percent disability rating. A TDIU for PTSD since February 18, 2020 is granted.,Service connection for ischemic heart disease and bilateral hand disability are remanded due to lack of adequate medical evidence in the record.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for service-connected tension headaches (claimed as headaches) was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show characteristic prostrating attacks of migraine/non-migraine headache pain during the appeal period.,The issue of entitlement to a compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to inadequate audiological examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for reactive airway disease, GERD, CAD, and hypertension are remanded due to the submission of new evidence after a previous denial. The Board finds that VA must readjudicate these claims as they may be related to exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) during service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions and a need for further development regarding service connection for cerebrovascular accident (CVA). The Veteran's representative argued that hypertension should also be considered, but it is not currently part of the claim.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's heart condition, finding that it is proximately due to his service-connected PTSD and chronic schizophrenia.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, prostate cancer, and diabetes mellitus type II due to potential exposure to herbicide agents while serving offshore of Vietnam.