Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, shell fragment wound of the left forearm, and coronary artery disease, as well as his claim for TDIU due to failure to provide adequate reasons or bases in its July 2022 decision. The issues have been remanded for further development including obtaining private treatment records from UVA Stuarts Draft Family Practice and employment records from the Virginia Department of Corrections.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for July 11-13, 2011 at St. Thomas Hospital are granted as the treatment was in a 'medical emergency' and VA facilities were not feasibly available.

The Veteran's diagnosed coronary artery disease is presumed to be related to his military service due to herbicide exposure, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of migraine headaches, right lower extremity neuropathy, or left lower extremity neuropathy. The Veteran's service treatment records show complaints of headaches and back pain but no diagnoses of these conditions.,For his heart condition and defibrillator implant, the Board finds that an addendum opinion is needed to address whether there is a relationship between the Veteran's current conditions and his service-connected hypertension.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for obstructive sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with Barrett's Disease, a heart condition, and melanoma due to additional development being necessary.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disorder, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and insufficient lay statements to establish a nexus between current heart issues and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection must be remanded again due to insufficient information regarding his in-service exposure to herbicide agents and further development is needed for examinations related to his claimed disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart condition and prostate cancer, finding insufficient evidence to support presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure in Korea. The Veteran is directed to provide additional information about his duty locations during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his spine disability and PTSD, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since December 12, 2022. The effective date for the TDIU is set at December 12, 2022.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in the September 2020 VA examination and clarification opinion, which did not address whether CAD caused or aggravated aortic aneurysm and/or aortic valve disease. The Veteran's service-connected CAD is currently rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a skin disorder (onychomycosis of the bilateral feet), respiratory cancer, ischemic heart disease, and colon cancer have been granted due to exposure to herbicide agents during service. The PACT Act is applicable in these cases.,Service connection has been established for respiratory cancer and ischemic heart disease due to herbicide agent exposure.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his coronary artery disease (CAD) was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show symptoms consistent with a workload of 3 METs or less, which is required for a greater than 60 percent rating. Additionally, the Veteran's request for earlier effective dates for TDIU, SMC, and DEA benefits prior to May 22, 2023 was denied as his September 2023 VA Form 21-8940 claim did not represent a continuously pursued increased ratings claim for CAD.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error and will consider the evidence again, including any private treatment records from Dr. Langberg and Dr. Entenberg.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for depressive disorder has been granted. The claims for heart condition, upper and lower bowel condition, GERD, and ED have not met the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's heart conditions, including chronic heart failure with cardiac arrhythmias and coronary artery disease, were not caused by VA medical care. The Board denied compensation under section 1151 as the proximate cause of his additional disability was not due to VA's fault or an unforeseen event.

The Board has decided that service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) is not granted, but the case is being sent back to VA for further action due to missing private treatment records.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there was no evidence to support exposure to an herbicide agent during service and insufficient medical evidence linking the Veteran's coronary artery disease to his military service.

The Board has determined that there is no new and relevant evidence to support the Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease, as his wife's statement regarding a previous hospital stay was not considered relevant by the AOJ.

The appeal for service connection for bladder cancer is dismissed. Service connection for a heart disability, to include ischemic heart disease and hypertensive heart disease, is denied. Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus is remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD and a heart condition as secondary to COPD, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.