Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for heart disability, sleep disability (including insomnia and OSA), left ankle disability, right ankle disability, and cervical spine disability due to inadequate opinions in previous VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection have been dismissed since withdrawn. The appeal to establish entitlement to service connection for migraine headaches, secondary to service-connected posttraumatic seizures, is remanded.

The Board has found that there has not been substantial compliance with the terms of its previous remand instructions. Further remand is necessary to obtain all VA treatment records from 1999 to the present and to verify the Veteran's alleged service in the Republic of Vietnam.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease are granted, with the latter being supported by a VA medical opinion linking it to herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for heart disability, left knee disability, right ankle disability, OSA, and diabetes mellitus due to incomplete VA treatment records and lack of adequate medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate medical opinions regarding service connection for right hip injury, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. The claims are being returned for additional development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disability, a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, and TDIU were all denied by the Board.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of the claimed conditions and exposure history. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, erectile dysfunction, PVD, and OSA are all being reviewed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition has been reopened due to new evidence. Other issues have also been remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the cases for a retrospective medical opinion to address whether the Veteran's other heart conditions are related to his service-connected hypertension and coronary artery disease, as well as if they are aggravated by these conditions. The TDIU claim is also being remanded due to its inextricability with the increased rating issue.

The Board denied service connection for atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, cervical spine disorder, back disorder (likely thoracolumbar spine), carpal tunnel syndrome, and vertigo as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected fibromyalgia. The claims were remanded for further development.

The Veteran was granted an earlier effective date of January 28, 2005 for the award of Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities rendering him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied DIC benefits and a burial allowance based on the Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease not being a contributory cause of his death due to vehicular accident trauma.

The Veteran's service connection claims for ischemic heart disease and Parkinson's disease are granted due to the PACT Act presumption of herbicide exposure in Thailand. The Board also found that these conditions manifested after service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a left shoulder injury and heart disability due to missed VA examinations, finding good cause.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone cause him to be unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to March 1, 2015.

The Veteran's sleep apnea, acid reflux, and heart disorder (hypertensive heart disease) are granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD with alcohol use disorder and cannabis use disorder. The Veteran is also granted a TDIU.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete private medical records and inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's heart disability and finger condition. The VA is required to obtain missing records, provide forms to the Veteran, and seek an addendum opinion from a clinician.

Service connection is granted for pleural plaques, asbestosis, and neck cancer. Service connection is denied for COPD and tongue cancer. CAD remains remanded.

The Veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by any service-connected disability, including prostate cancer, coronary artery disease, and hypertension.