Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2022

Service connection for glaucoma is dismissed. Service connection for depression, sleep apnea, low back disorder, diabetes mellitus, and heart disease (claimed as ischemic heart disease and coronary artery disease) are granted on the merits.

The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, finding that the Veteran was exposed to herbicides in or near the DMZ during his deployment to Korea.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and evaluation, including obtaining updated medical records and providing a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease and any related valvular heart disease. The TDIU claim is also being remanded due to its inextricable link with the rating issue.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and granted. The Board found new and material evidence to support the reopening of these claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, finding that there is no evidence showing an in-service event or link between such an event and his present heart disabilities. The Board also found that the medical opinions did not support a finding of causation or aggravation by his service-connected back conditions.

The Veteran's heart disability and hypertension have not met the criteria for a higher rating under current VA regulations.,The Veteran is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease and coronary artery bypass graft residuals rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment from August 31, 2011, to May 23, 2016. The Board granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis for this period.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee condition and heart condition are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a retrospective medical opinion regarding the severity and manifestations of the Veteran's service-connected atherosclerotic heart disease status-post coronary bypass surgery. The issues of increased rating and TDIU are also being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction was denied as there is no evidence of an earlier claim or intent to file a claim, and the effective date cannot be established before August 7, 2017.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for eczema of the bilateral lower extremities was denied, and his claim for TDIU prior to May 21, 2019, was also denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection and secondary service connection for diabetes mellitus type II (DM II) due to coronary artery disease (CAD). The June 2022 VA medical opinion is inadequate, as it does not address the in-service blood sugar finding of 142.2 mg/dl or provide a rationale regarding whether CAD causes or aggravates DM II.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, sleep apnea, heart disability (secondary to hypertension), nausea (secondary to hypertension), dizziness (secondary to hypertension), and headaches (secondary to hypertension) due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their onset in service.

The Board has granted the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that the Veteran died from ischemic heart disease in the form of myocardial infarction, which is presumptively related to herbicide agent exposure. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the appellant.

The Board has denied service connection for a heart condition and hypertension, finding that the evidence does not support a link to active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inability to contact the Veteran for a VA examination, which was required by the May 2021 Board Remand.

The Veteran's combined effects of his service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's heart disability, stroke, and acquired psychiatric disorder. The issues of service connection are being addressed due to new evidence that reopened these claims.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for a heart condition, to include chest pain, due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.