Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's heart disability, right shoulder disability, and left shoulder disability on a direct basis. The decision is based on credible lay evidence of onset in service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including major depressive disorder, coronary artery disease, gout, and right ankle degenerative joint disease and fracture, prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational background and work experience. The Board granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's initial rating for coronary artery disease was denied as his condition did not meet the criteria for a higher 30 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 7005.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings of 100 percent for coronary artery disease and 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss were denied as it is not factually ascertainable that the conditions increased in severity within a year before April 6, 2020.,Both conditions have been rated based on their current status without any indication of an increase in severity prior to one year from when the Veteran filed his claims.

Your heart condition claim has already been decided by the Board and is being dismissed as it has been fully addressed in a previous decision.

The Veteran's service connection claims for adrenal cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, coronary artery disease, kidney cancer, gallbladder/chronic cholecystitis, prostate cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma in situ are remanded due to the need for a TERA examination and further development of his exposure history.

The Board has granted service connection for CAD under the PACT Act, but has also remanded to determine if direct service connection can be established. The Veteran's service in Guam is presumed due to herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for type II diabetes, a heart disability, and hypertension due to an error in providing notice of the right to a hearing before the AOJ.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error and the need for a toxic risk exposure activity (TERA) opinion in compliance with the provisions of the PACT Act.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as his current disability level does not warrant a compensable rating.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for bilateral hearing loss is denied as the earliest available effective date is February 15, 2023.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and other acquired psychiatric disorders are denied as there is no persuasive evidence of a current diagnosis or causal relationship to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between his service-connected degenerative disc disease (DDD) and his claimed conditions. The Board finds that further examination and opinion are needed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions and duty-to-assist errors.,Specifically, the VA examiners did not provide sufficient rationale for their conclusions regarding the nature and etiology of the claimed conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a neck condition, pes planus of the right foot, and back condition. The appeal is remanded for further development regarding these issues.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition was also remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions were denied in previous rating decisions. The Board is remanding the case to determine if the Appellant received the month-of-death benefit and to conduct an accounting of any payment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions. The Board found that a higher rating is warranted for bilateral hearing loss, but denied earlier effective dates for service connection of tinnitus and BHL.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease, mitral valve prolapse and valve replacement was granted on December 31, 2007. The Board found that an earlier effective date prior to December 31, 2007 is not warranted as the disability arose before this date.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal. The Board cannot issue a decision on the underlying claims at this time.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of confirmation of exposure to herbicide agents on the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, and requests that ship logbooks be obtained.

The Veteran's appeal for a disability rating in excess of 60 percent for atherosclerotic coronary artery disease was denied. The Veteran also received a grant of TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date prior to November 2, 2017, and higher ratings for his heart disability and bilateral knee disabilities have been denied. The Board found that the earliest possible effective date is November 2, 2017, when VA received the claim after final disallowance. For the knee disabilities, the evidence did not show limitation of flexion to less than 30 degrees or more exacerbations per year.