Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the cause of the Veteran's death, which may be related to his service. The case will be reviewed with additional medical evidence and an addendum opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for complex sleep apnea and tinnitus have been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied, as his hearing impairment does not meet the criteria for any higher rating under VA's auditory acuity schedule. The Veteran's CAD remains at 60 percent disabling, with no evidence of chronic congestive heart failure or limited workload resulting in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope. The claim for an effective date earlier than June 26, 2014 for the increased PTSD rating is denied due to lack of factual ascertainability.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for complex sleep apnea and tinnitus have been reopened due to new and material evidence. His hearing loss remains at a noncompensable rating as his pure tone thresholds do not meet the criteria for any higher rating under VA's auditory acuity schedule. The Veteran's CAD is rated at 60 percent disabling, with no evidence of chronic congestive heart failure or limited workload resulting in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope. The claim for an effective date earlier than June 26, 2014 for the increased PTSD rating is denied due to lack of factual ascertainability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, PTSD, and diabetes, have been shown to preclude substantially gainful employment prior to January 22, 2016. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a temporary total evaluation (TTE) based on the need for convalescence following his December 2010 quintuple bypass surgery, finding that the evidence did not support a connection between his MVP and the surgery.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of a heart disability due to the need for a VA examination. The Veteran's lay testimony indicates that his chronic chest pain started during service and persists, but further medical evaluation is needed to determine if this condition is related to his military service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities, ischemic heart disease, and kidney disability have been denied.,The Board has found no current disabilities in these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and coronary artery disease due to lack of actual exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted as presumptive under the Agent Orange Act.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is rated at 60 percent for the period prior to July 1, 2022. The Board also granted a TDIU for this period and dismissed the appeal for a TDIU from July 1, 2022 onwards as moot.

The Veteran's skin condition (chloracne) is granted as service-connected due to exposure to herbicide agents during his Vietnam service.,The Veteran's heart disorder, including atrial fibrillation, left ventricular hypertrophy, and aortic regurgitation, are also granted as service-connected based on the presumption of exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that ischemic heart disease did not contribute to his death and was not related to military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease was denied in September 2013, and the effective date cannot be changed as it has already become final. The earliest possible effective date is June 11, 2019.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for coronary artery disease is granted and the case is remanded for a new examination to determine the etiology of the condition.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date for the grant of total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from May 7, 2012. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from maintaining gainful employment prior to this date.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's heart disorder is granted as presumptively related to herbicide agent exposure in Thailand under the PACT Act. The issue of service connection for left ear hearing loss is also granted.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease are granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Thailand.

The Veteran's death was caused by tongue oral cancer metastatic, which is not a condition subject to presumptive service connection due to Agent Orange exposure. The Board acknowledges the appellant's assertion that the primary site of the cancer was in his larynx, but there is no competent evidence showing this.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for all issues related to the veteran's service-connected conditions, including valvular heart disease with cardiomyopathy and atrioventricular block, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, implanted cardiac pacemaker and third degree heart, painful scar of the left chest status post pacemaker insertion, and hypertension.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome and heart condition have been dismissed due to withdrawal of the appeals. The claims for constipation/irritable bowel syndrome (claimed as Gulf War Syndrome) and tinnitus are being readjudicated.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD is remanded.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and heart disability are granted service connection due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand. The Veteran's stroke residuals are also granted service connection.