Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2022

The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease due to presumed herbicide exposure in Thailand is granted.

The Board has remanded several claims, including service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, COPD, sleep apnea, a heart condition, and retinal artery occlusion of the right eye. The remand requires additional medical opinions to address whether these conditions are related to in-service brain injuries or other service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 30 percent for the service-connected coronary artery disease (CAD) and a compensable disability rating for scars status post coronary artery bypass graft associated with CAD.

The Veteran's tinnitus, type II diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease are all granted service connection as due to herbicide agent exposure during his military service at Takhli RTAFB in Thailand.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. However, his claim for valvular heart disease must be remanded as there is insufficient evidence to determine if it was aggravated by hypertension during service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease and type II diabetes mellitus, both claimed to be due to herbicide exposure, have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show the Veteran served in Vietnam or Thailand during his military service, thus precluding a finding of presumed exposure to herbicides. As such, service connection is denied for these conditions. Additionally, the Veteran's claim for TDIU was also denied as there was no credible evidence showing he could not secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new examination to assess the severity of his service-connected coronary artery disease with angina pectoris. The TDIU issue is also remanded concurrently.

The Veteran's service connection claim for coronary artery disease is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his Vietnam War-era service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of heart condition, MDD, and DM as secondary to nonservice-connected hypertension. The rating for hypertension was granted at a 10% level.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of his claims as they are moot.

The Veteran's hypertension, heart condition, bilateral foot condition, and visual impairment are all remanded for further development to determine their relationship to service.,Specifically, the claims will be evaluated based on whether these conditions had their onset during active duty, ACDUTRA, or INACDUTRA.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and to obtain supplemental VA medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for obtaining additional medical records and a VA medical opinion to determine if he can participate in substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for Crohn's disease, hypertension, heart disability, basal cell carcinoma, Graves' disease, and GERD are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for heart disability, hypertension (HTN), and stroke. The evidence does not support a finding of current disabilities or a link between these conditions and active service.

The Veteran's hypertension, back condition, heart condition, neuropathy of the arms, hands, and legs, dementia, and tinnitus were not found to be related to service.,Service connection was denied for all claimed conditions.

The Veteran's entitlement to a 60 percent rating for coronary artery disease (CAD) from September 21, 2006 is granted. The effective date of the grant remains at September 21, 2006.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to ascertain the Veteran's exposure at Plattsburgh AFB and whether his death was related to service, particularly any contaminant exposure.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current heart disability and sinusitis are related to her service. The VA will need to provide additional medical opinions on these issues.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and new evidence regarding the cause of death and multiple sclerosis.