Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2024

The Board denied the appellant's claims for additional accrued benefits, finding that she was already reimbursed for the full cost of her brother's burial and did not provide evidence that the dental work was related to his last sickness.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus are granted as due to herbicide exposure during service.,Service connection for thrombocytopenia is denied, while depression secondary to ischemic heart disease is granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for kidney and heart disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions regarding causation and aggravation.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including service connection claims for various conditions and exposure to potential hazards.

The Board has remanded the claim for coronary artery disease due to inadequate opinions from VA examiners regarding its etiology and aggravation by service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new evidence being added to the record, and the Veteran did not waive AOJ consideration of this evidence. The claims will be readjudicated by the AOJ.

The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, Type II due to herbicide exposure as there was no evidence of such exposure in service. The Veteran's conditions were diagnosed more than 30 years after separation from active duty.

Service connection for right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity sciatica has been granted as secondary to service-connected cervical spine degenerative joint disease (neck disability) and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease (back disability).,Service connection for a heart condition and TBI have not been reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including coronary artery disease, an eye condition (cataracts and vision impairment), a skin condition, diabetes mellitus type 2, and erectile dysfunction. The remand requires further development to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his military service.

The Board has restored a 30 percent rating for coronary artery disease (CAD) effective December 1, 2018. The reduction of the initial 30 percent rating was improper due to clear and unmistakable error (CUE).

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal as the July 5, 2019, VA Form 9 was not timely filed. The claims for service connection were decided on the merits and found to be denied.

The Board has dismissed the claim for service connection for coronary artery disease as moot due to a prior grant of the claim. The Board has also remanded the claim for service connection for glucagonoma.,Coronary artery disease was granted service connection in June 2019, making this issue moot.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease (CAD) is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that this rating remains appropriate given his METs level and left ventricular ejection fraction.

Service connection for a heart condition (claimed as heart murmur) is denied.,Service connection for bilateral cataracts is denied.,Service connection for residuals of a right eye corneal abrasion is denied.,Service connection for a bilateral eye condition (diagnosed as pterygium, pinguecula) is denied.,The Veteran's back strain claim remains pending and will be remanded.

The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher than 30 percent disability rating due to the Veteran's METs scores and ejection fraction being consistently no worse than 5-7 METs with LVEF of 50%.

The Veteran's condition with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and coronary artery disease resulted in the need for regular aid and attendance since May 8, 2019. The Board granted entitlement to special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance from that date.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the Veteran's heart disability and TDIU claims. Additional development is needed, including a new VA examination.

The Board dismissed the appeals regarding an earlier effective date for service connection and a higher disability rating for coronary artery disease (CAD) because the Veteran did not file a substantive appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims for PTSD and CAD, as well as the cause of death claim due to insufficient evidence. Additional medical opinions are needed regarding the severity of the Veteran's conditions prior to his death.

The Veteran's 30 percent rating for service-connected hypertensive heart disease is restored, effective November 1, 2018. The Board also found that a remand was necessary to determine the current severity of his service-connected hypertensive heart disease due to inconsistencies in notification and scheduling of examinations.