Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2024

The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from October 26, 2023, due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to internal inconsistencies in the VA medical examinations and a need for further examination to determine if any diagnosed heart conditions are presumptively related to herbicide exposure during service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for coronary artery disease was denied. The effective date of the 60 percent rating for coronary artery disease is set at May 4, 2018. The earlier effective date for loss of teeth secondary to Hodgkin's disease is granted but no earlier than October 19, 2011.

A 100 percent rating for coronary artery disease (CAD) is granted.,Special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for a heart disability and obstructive sleep apnea on the basis of secondary service connection, finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not caused by or related to the Veteran's service-connected hypertension and adjustment disorder, respectively.

Effective January 31, 2012, the Veteran was granted a TDIU rating on an extraschedular basis. The Board found that his service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment before September 22, 2016.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease and low back disability, but has remanded both issues due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature of his conditions and their relationship to service.

The Board dismissed the appeal for an increased rating for hypertension and denied a request for an earlier effective date for the grant of a 100 percent disability rating for coronary artery disease. The TDIU claim was also denied as there was no inferred or formal claim prior to November 22, 2017.

The Veteran's appeal on the issues of lung disorder and heart disability service connection has been dismissed due to his death. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate these claims as he is deceased.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is granted. The Board also grants secondary service connection for a heart condition to include hypertension and coronary artery disease as secondary to PTSD.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer and arteriosclerotic heart disease are granted on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents during service in the territorial waters of Guam. The effective date is August 10, 2022.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion and the need for a PACT Act-compliant examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's need for aid and attendance, loss of use of feet and/or lower extremities, and whether his service-connected disabilities alone caused these issues. Additional VA treatment records are needed, as well as an addendum opinion from a clinician.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease was granted on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure, effective January 29, 2015. The TDIU claim was also granted as of the same date.,An earlier effective date is denied because the evidence does not show that the Veteran met all eligibility criteria for the liberalized benefit prior to the effective date of the law or VA issue.

Your appeal has been dismissed because the Veteran passed away during the pendency of this case.

Service connection for ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and monoclonal gammopathy was granted effective August 10, 2022.,The PACT Act of 2022 (Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act) went into effect on this date, granting the claims based on its provisions.,No compensable ratings were granted for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's initial rating for valvular heart disease was denied, but a higher rating of 60 percent is granted since October 29, 2012. The claim for post-surgical scars associated with heart surgery resulted in denial of a compensable rating.,A TDIU claim for the period prior to December 27, 2012, was denied due to lack of evidence showing inability to secure or follow gainful employment.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including VA examinations and medical opinions regarding his service-connected conditions and any potential links to his current disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including heart condition, diabetes mellitus, type II, emphysema, irritable colon syndrome, and lung cancer are remanded due to new evidence received. A VA examination is required as the issues involve complex medical questions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's heart condition and his contention that it is related to service, including toxic exposure risk activities. The case will be reviewed again with additional development.