Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2021

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease and kidney cancer due to herbicide agent exposure are granted.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus type 2 due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's heart disorder and his service-connected PTSD, sleep apnea, and other conditions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for a heart disorder that includes paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, which he claims began during combat in Iraq.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and right ankle disability have been granted. The heart disability claim has been denied as the evidence does not show more than one episode of congestive heart failure in the past year, a workload of greater than 3 METs but not greater than 5 METs resulting in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness or syncope, or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 30 to 50 percent. The diabetes claim has been denied as the evidence does not show that his diabetes required insulin and a restricted diet or hypoglycemic agents and restricted diet.

The Board has denied service connection for a heart condition due to the lack of evidence showing ischemic heart disease or any other qualifying condition related to service, including herbicide exposure.,Service connection for prostate cancer is remanded as there are missing records from UIHC that need to be obtained.

The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease and hypertension, finding that the conditions were not incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to insufficient evidence and need for additional medical opinions. The issues of entitlement to TDIU are also inextricably intertwined with these service connection claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability, finding that there is no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within the applicable presumptive period. The Board also found that the current heart disability is not related to an in-service assault and concluded that other risk factors such as alcohol abuse, hypertension, and age are more likely responsible for the Veteran's heart conditions.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various disabilities, including heart disability, hypertension, nerve condition, bilateral shoulder and ankle disabilities, bilateral toe arthritis, and cervical spine disability. The claims are pending further development.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for a heart disability and degenerative arthritis, to include degenerative joint disease of the left hand due to further development being needed.

The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease and type II diabetes mellitus as the evidence did not support a finding of exposure to herbicide agents during active service, and there was no direct evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete development, specifically regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicides during service. The issue of service connection for a heart condition will be reconsidered after additional verification is conducted.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for heart disease, including ischemic heart disease and cardiomyopathy to include as due to exposure to herbicides, an evaluation higher than 20 percent disabling for degenerative disc syndrome previously claimed as intervertebral disc syndrome, and service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. The remand requires contacting the Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC) to verify the Veteran's alleged in-service exposure to herbicide agents, including Agent Orange, at Fort McClellan, Alabama.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment from June 27, 2007 to May 14, 2008.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's heart condition and its connection to VA treatment. The case will be reviewed again with an additional opinion.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are remanded due to the need for VA examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his military service, specifically herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease and coronary artery bypass graft did not render him unemployable or unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation from July 1, 2013, to February 12, 2019.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence and conflicting opinions regarding the Veteran's heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. A new VA examination is needed to determine if any current heart conditions are related to service exposure to herbicides.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a bilateral eye disability, including as secondary to hypertension and coronary artery disease with ischemic cardiomyopathy. The case is being remanded for additional development, specifically for an addendum medical opinion regarding whether the cataracts are related to service or service-connected disabilities, caused by hypertension, or aggravated by coronary artery disease.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain records from the Veteran's units during his service in the Republic of Vietnam. The Veteran claims service connection for ischemic heart disease based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents.