Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in the Veteran's employment records and a need for additional development regarding his income from July 2013 to July 2014, as well as any accommodations provided by his former employers.

The Board has granted service connection for coronary artery disease, type II diabetes mellitus, and hypertension due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Guam. The Veteran's conditions are considered presumptive under the PACT Act.

The Veteran's application to reopen the previously denied claim for service connection for a heart disability was denied as new and material evidence was not received.,Service connection for a right lower extremity muscle disability was denied due to lack of diagnosed condition.,An increased rating in excess of 10 percent for hemorrhoids was denied as there is no evidence of persistent bleeding or anemia.,A compensable rating for the service-connected surgical scar, right knee, was denied as there are no disabling effects not considered under Diagnostic Codes 7800-04.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has objective indications of a qualifying chronic disability manifest by fecal urgency and chronic sinusitis, which qualify under the PACT Act provisions. The Veteran's coronary artery disease, respiratory disability (asthma), and neurological impairment of the left hand are remanded due to potential applicability of 38 C.F.R. § 3.317 as a result of his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities, as well as a heart condition and respiratory disability (claimed as asthma), are granted. The Board also remanded the issues of service connection for a heart condition and respiratory disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection and SMC based on aid and attendance was received on February 27, 2017. The effective date of the SMC award is set to February 27, 2017 due to the grant of service connection for IgA nephropathy.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for heart disability and skin disability due to potential exposure to herbicide agents in service. The AOJ is instructed to attempt verification of the Veteran's claimed in-service exposure.

The Board denied service connection for heart disability, left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and diabetes mellitus type II due to lack of evidence supporting herbicide exposure in service.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU effective February 19, 2014, due to his service-connected disabilities.,Basic eligibility for Chapter 35 DEA benefits was also granted effective February 19, 2014.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cardiac disability, hypertension, and peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities. The decision also dismissed his claim for erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's type II diabetes, prostate cancer, IHD, and hypothyroidism are granted service connection based on exposure to herbicide agents in the Korean DMZ. Service connection for ED is also granted as secondary to his prostate cancer.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to verify the Veteran's reported exposure to herbicide agents during his period of service in Germany, as this is necessary to determine if he was exposed to Agent Orange and thus eligible for presumptive service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for hypertension and ischemic heart disease due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their relationship to service.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that internal bleeding was not related to his military service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) is denied as there was no in-service exposure to herbicide agents and the condition did not onset within one year of service separation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including heart disability, prostate cancer, hypertension, fatigue, syncope, vertigo, erectile dysfunction, glaucoma, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, have all been denied as not supported by evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for referral to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration of a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to May 19, 2022.

The Board has granted service connection for a heart disability, including cardiomyopathy and atrial fibrillation, effective from June 21, 2012. The effective date is set at May 10, 2017 as per the November 2019 rating decision.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and prostate cancer due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during the Veteran's service near the Korean DMZ. The PACT Act of 2022 established hypertension as a presumptive condition associated with such exposure.

The Board has granted a disability rating of 60 percent for ischemic heart disease (coronary artery disease) effective June 8, 2022. The decision is based on the Veteran's functional impairment and consistent with the criteria for a 60 percent rating.