Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2023

The Veteran's heart disability is now rated at 100% effective from April 5, 2013. His panic disorder rating has been increased to 50%. The Veteran also received a TDIU effective June 13, 2012.

The Board has dismissed all issues of service connection due to the Veteran's death during the appeal process.

The Board granted service connection for hypertension under the PACT Act of 2022, finding it presumed to be related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. Service connection was denied for heart disease, lung disease, liver disease, and kidney disease due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's heart disorder and its relationship to service-connected conditions. A new VA examination is required to determine if the Veteran's heart disorder, including his implanted pacemaker, is related to his military service or aggravated by any service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's heart condition, seizures, bilateral eye disabilities (right and left), and migraines were not found to be related to his service.,However, the Veteran was granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination and scheduling issues.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and an earlier effective date have been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for gall bladder disability, heart disability, HTN, and BUE and BLE PN have been denied. The Board has remanded the cases due to new evidence submitted since the last final decisions.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to non-compliance with previous instructions. The Veteran's service treatment records indicate he was exposed to Agent Orange in drums brought from Guam by B-52s, and he claims exposure during flights to Vietnam and Thailand.

The claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has determined that additional development is needed due to conflicting medical opinions and missing service treatment records.

The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, heart disorder, cervical spine disorder, and lumbar spine disorder. The current VA medical opinions do not adequately address the exposure basis or provide a clear nexus opinion.

The Board has remanded the claims for ischemic heart disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, skin cancer, diabetes mellitus, and thyroid cancer due to insufficient evidence of herbicide exposure during service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to unclear employment history and annual income, which are necessary for proper adjudication of his TDIU claim.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not by themselves cause him to require aid and assistance in accomplishing the activities of daily living and render him unable to protect himself from the hazards and dangers of his daily environment. Therefore, SMC based on the need for aid and attendance is denied.

Service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease and diabetes mellitus type II is granted under the PACT Act.,The claims for service connection on a direct basis are remanded due to insufficient evidence of herbicide exposure.

The Board has denied service connection for ischemic heart disease due to lack of exposure to herbicides and the absence of a link between current condition and service. Service connection for lumbar spine disorder is remanded as there are insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's back pain.

Service connection is granted for musculoskeletal chest pain.,Service connection is denied for a heart disability.,Service connection is denied for residuals of frostbite to the left lower extremity and right lower extremity.,Service connection is remanded for a left ankle disability and sinus/respiratory disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, thus denying his claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

The rating reduction for service-connected coronary artery disease from 60 percent was improper, and the 60 percent rating is restored as of June 27, 2016.

The Veteran's death was not initially service-connected, and the appellant did not appeal. The claim was reopened in 2015 due to new evidence showing ischemic heart disease as a presumptive condition for herbicide exposure. However, since the liberalizing law regarding ischemic heart disease was effective after the last final denial of the claim, the earliest possible effective date is March 17, 2014.