Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate examinations and missing medical records. The Veteran is required to provide additional information about his private treatment records, and VA will attempt to obtain them.

The Board denied a request to revise the February 2014 rating decision, which established service connection for cause of death and assigned an effective date of December 14, 1987. The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in assigning this effective date.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for award of a TDIU, and his service-connected disabilities preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease are granted. The claim for a blood platelet/autoimmune condition is remanded.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as related to herbicide exposure in Thailand. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied due to lack of service connection evidence. Service connection for a heart condition, specifically an aneurysm, is remanded.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, ischemic heart disease, and right eye melanoma are denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions began during his active service or are otherwise related to any in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease contributed substantially to his death from acute renal failure. Service connection for cause of death is granted, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is also granted.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted for the rating period from February 18, 2020 due to service-connected disabilities including PTSD, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and ischemic heart disease.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD contributed to or caused his death from coronary artery disease.

The Veteran's cause of death is remanded for further investigation as the terminal records from his nursing home are needed to determine if service connection can be established.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, heart condition, and headache condition due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for heart disability, back disability, and shoulder disabilities due to insufficient examination findings. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since June 10, 2014. The Board granted entitlement to TDIU effective June 10, 2014.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for liver, autoimmune, pancytopenia, headache, sleep apnea, and heart conditions due to insufficient medical evidence of record.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension, tinnitus, and PTSD have been granted. The issues of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, a heart condition, bilateral hearing loss, and neurological disability of the right lower extremity are remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine if any of the Veteran's disabilities are related to his service or service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the claim for SMC at the housebound rate prior to January 27, 2016 due to a lack of private treatment records and an issue regarding entitlement under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) based on TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for ischemic heart disease and a total disability rating due to individual unemployability are being remanded as additional development is needed, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for an examination.

The Board granted an increased rating of 60 percent for the Veteran's coronary artery disease, effective from April 27, 2017, based on evidence showing a workload of greater than 3 METs but not greater than 5 METs resulting in symptoms such as dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope.

The Board has remanded the claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, heart disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder due to outstanding evidence and further development being necessary.