Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2022

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was related to his service-connected ischemic heart disease and diabetes, finding them at least in equipoise with respect to causation. As a result, service connection for the cause of death is granted.

The Veteran's claim for hypertension is granted as it is presumed due to herbicide exposure under the PACT Act.,The effective date of service connection for CAD is set at March 1, 2017. The earlier effective dates for prostate cancer and its residuals (ED with SMC and a prostatectomy scar) are also granted based on the liberalizing law that added these conditions to presumptive service connection due to herbicide exposure.,The Veteran's claim for ED is granted as secondary to his service-connected prostate cancer, with an effective date of March 1, 2017.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's heart disorder, its nature and etiology, and whether it is related to service or his service-connected diabetes.

The Veteran's low back condition is granted service connection, and the case of his heart condition is remanded for further examination. The case of his bilateral hearing loss is also remanded.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of a heart condition due to conflicting opinions and lack of substantial compliance with previous remands.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient development and lack of consideration of the Veteran's lay assertions regarding his heart pain.

Service connection is granted for diabetes mellitus, type II and coronary artery disease. Service connection is also granted for chronic kidney disease, right eye diabetic retinopathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to service-connected diabetes. Service connection is granted for congestive heart failure as secondary to coronary artery disease. The case is remanded for additional opinions on toxic optic neuropathy with altitudinal visual field defect and a heart disorder other than coronary artery disease.

The Veteran's heart disease is rated at 30 percent, and the Board found that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to January 29, 2019, for service connection of hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for ischemic cardiomyopathy with supraventricular arrhythmia and valvular heart disease (Post-CABG, Post-MVR) has been denied.,The Veteran's claims for a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral tinnitus have been denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea has been remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of chest pain was denied in 1986, and the Board found that this could reasonably be construed as a claim for coronary artery disease. However, no diagnosis of CAD or any other presumptive condition was made until after August 2010 when ischemic heart disease (which includes CAD) was added to the list of disorders presumptively associated with Agent Orange exposure. As such, there were no pending claims at the time of the Veteran's death and he was not in receipt of service connection benefits for any disabilities at that time.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation from February 20, 2013, to October 16, 2018.

The Veteran's service connection claims for DM2 and CAD are granted. The Board also finds that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents in Thailand, which is sufficient to grant service connection for his peripheral neuropathy conditions and kidney disorder as secondary to his now-service-connected DM2.

The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease, multiple myeloma, prostate cancer, and soft tissue sarcoma on a presumptive basis due to in-service exposure to herbicide agents. Service connection for carcinoma is remanded as there was not sufficient evidence provided by the RO.

The Board has found the VA Centralized Eligibility and Appeals Team (CEAT) review inadequate to support the decision that the Veteran is not eligible for PCAFC benefits. The case is remanded for a new medical review considering all pertinent evidence, including recent assessments of the Veteran's care needs.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for coronary artery disease, diabetes, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy have been denied as his conditions do not meet the criteria for higher ratings under VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted as service-connected due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents while stationed near the air base perimeter of U-Tapao Airfield in Thailand.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including ischemic heart disease, bilateral upper and lower extremity neuropathy, diabetes mellitus type II, and hearing loss, have rendered him unable to engage in substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his service-connected conditions preclude him from working.

The Veteran's prostate cancer and coronary artery disease are granted service connection as they are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart condition, including pericarditis, was not incurred or aggravated during his active duty service and is not otherwise related to an in-service injury. The claim for service connection is denied.