Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2022

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for high cholesterol, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, residuals of an appendix removal, and eye condition (presbyopia). The claim for arthritis/osteoarthritis is remanded.

The Veteran withdrew all his appeals regarding service connection for various conditions and increased ratings, including bilateral hearing loss, allergic rhinitis, headaches, heart disability, GERD, somatic symptom disorder/unspecified depressive disorder, and TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for hypertensive heart disease was denied, and the Board has remanded this issue.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for hypertension is also remanded.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including sleep apnea, vascular and/or lymphatic diseases of the lower extremities, hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and major depressive disorder. The issues include determining whether these conditions are secondary to other service-connected disabilities or otherwise etiologically related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's erectile dysfunction disability. The Veteran is also granted service connection for coronary artery disease and type II diabetes mellitus on a presumptive basis.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for Parkinson's disease, coronary artery disease, and diabetes mellitus due to insufficient investigation into the Veteran's reported exposure to herbicide agents during his service. The appellant's claim for nonservice-connected burial benefits is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to October 1, 2019, and thus granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and type II diabetes mellitus, finding that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents (including Agent Orange) in Thailand during his military service. The conditions are presumed service-connected.

The Veteran's leg condition (knee conditions) and heart disease are not granted as service-connected. However, the Veteran is granted service connection for erectile dysfunction secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.,The Veteran's hypertension is denied as service-connected.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical opinions and a new function assessment of the Veteran's heart disabilities, specifically coronary artery disease (CAD) and aortic valve stenosis.

The Veteran's service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus (DMII) due to herbicide exposure is granted, and his initial rating for ischemic coronary artery disease (CAD) is increased to 60 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him so helpless as to require regular aid and attendance, leading to the grant of SMC based on A&A.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for a heart condition, stomach condition (ulcer), and right eye condition due to lack of evidence of an earlier unadjudicated claim. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss case is also remanded for additional examination.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for sleep apnea, a heart condition, and diabetes mellitus due to the failure to obtain private treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his coronary heart disease status post CABG is granted effective June 2, 2015. The issue of entitlement to a TDIU is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with its previous directive to adjudicate the Veteran's motion for revision of the July 2008 rating decision on the basis of CUE. The RO is instructed to consider this issue in the first instance.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment, and he is also found to be in need of regular aid and attendance. The Board has granted the TDIU claim and remanded for a VA examination regarding SMC.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not preclude him from following a substantially gainful occupation prior to February 20, 2008 and after November 22, 2010.

The Veteran's claim for specially adapted housing is granted due to his service-connected heart disability and peripheral neuropathy causing severe loss of use of both lower and upper extremities. The appeal for the special home adaptation grant is dismissed as moot because eligibility for specially adapted housing has been established.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to engage and retain substantially gainful employment, thus the claim for TDIU is denied.