Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2024

The appeal to reduce the disability rating for coronary artery disease, status post coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) from 60 percent to 30 percent is dismissed because the reduction had not occurred at the time of the Veteran's submission of a Notice of Disagreement.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and peripheral neuropathy are granted due to exposure to herbicide agents during his service in the Korean DMZ. The PACT Act of 2022 is applied to grant service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hypothyroidism, ischemic heart disease, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy have been granted with initial evaluations of 30 percent each.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted service connection.,The issues of service connection for CAD and DM, as well as bilateral hearing loss, are remanded due to procedural errors.

The Veteran's claim for a 60 percent disability rating for the service-connected left below knee amputation with callosity stump is granted. The issues of service connection for a heart condition, entitlement to an earlier effective date for TDIU, and eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35 are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) as secondary to service-connected hypertension and diabetes mellitus type II (DM). The Veteran's lay statements and medical literature were not considered in the November 2019 VA examination, which is inadequate. A new addendum opinion is needed to address these issues.

The Veteran's claims for various conditions, including PTSD, were denied effective from the date of receipt of his claim in September 1989. The Board found that an earlier effective date was not warranted due to the finality of the prior decisions and the lack of a valid appeal.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, type II, heart disabilities (coronary artery disease with coronary artery bypass graft), prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction are granted on a presumptive basis without application of the PACT Act.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's heart disability, including whether it is related to service or any other condition.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease and arterial hypertension as secondary to his service-connected asbestosis with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions and consideration of lay contentions. The Veteran is scheduled for VA examinations to address his claimed disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD and coronary artery disease due to a lack of VA examination, and requests additional development including obtaining medical records and providing an opinion on the nature and etiology of the claimed conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's heart disability, diagnosed as spastic coronary artery disease, finding that it had its onset in and is related to service. The weight of evidence supports this decision.

Service connection is granted for COPD, but the claims of service connection for granulomatous lung disease and heart disease are remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates and increased disability evaluations have been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and bradyarrhythmia due to potential exposure to herbicide agents and mustard gas in Okinawa during active duty.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) is denied as there was no prior formal or informal claim filed before May 13, 2019.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for ischemic heart disease as new and relevant evidence was submitted after the February 2020 rating decision.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for incomplete left bundle branch block was granted. The claims for hypertensive heart disease and pulmonary hypertension, as well as hypogonadism, were remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has denied service connection for a heart disorder and remanded the claims of service connection for vascular/venous insufficiency of the left and right lower extremities. The Veteran's service treatment records were silent for any diagnosis or treatment related to these conditions, and post-service medical records do not establish current disabilities.