Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him in need of regular aid and attendance due to his diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, and coronary artery disease. The Board has granted SMC based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.,VA examinations and medical opinions are needed to address the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of evidence regarding service connection for a heart condition, including exposure to burn pits and radiation. The Veteran's claims are pending further examination and development.

The Board has remanded the appeal for further development due to new evidence added since the April 2024 supplemental statement of the case and consideration of both the former and revised versions of the rating criteria.

Service connection is denied for neurological disabilities of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, leukocytosis, a bilateral elbow disability, a heart disability, and an acquired psychiatric disability.,Service connection is denied for diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal disability, kidney disability, retinopathy, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities require regular aid and attendance, warranting special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating higher than 30 percent for coronary artery disease (CAD) is being remanded due to a duty to assist error and the need to obtain private treatment records from Wake Forest.

The Board has granted the readjudication of claims for service connection for COPD and heart disorders. The claim for service connection for a heart disorder is remanded due to a duty to assist error.

The Veteran's heart, menstrual, anemia, thyroid, and gallbladder conditions are considered undiagnosed illnesses due to her service in the Persian Gulf War. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions on a presumptive basis.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to PTSD and heart conditions, including coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation. The decision also requires a medical opinion on whether the Veteran's service-connected heart conditions have caused or aggravated his obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board has found that the AOJ did not substantially comply with its previous instructions and remanded the claims again. The new opinions are also inadequate, as they do not adequately address the Veteran's lay statements about his symptoms in service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for beneficiary travel benefits associated with his VA medical appointments on specific dates, finding that the distances from his addresses to the Dallas VAMC are approximately the same.

The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a heart condition, finding that the Veteran's heart condition was not caused by VA care and did not result from any fault on the part of VA.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions and consideration of all relevant evidence, including articles submitted by the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA medical opinions regarding the Veteran's cardiovascular disease and lower back condition. The claim for service connection for these conditions is being returned for further development.

The appeal for service connection for tonsil cancer and larynx injury is dismissed. Service connection for hypothyroidism and hypertension has been granted, while soft tissue sarcoma remains denied. The appeals for ischemic heart disease, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and COPD are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of a heart disability was denied as the October 2015 rating decision denying service connection became final and not appealable. The Board found no legal basis for an earlier effective date.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to December 30, 2022, finding that it was not factually ascertainable that he became unemployable within one year prior to his formal TDIU claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of consideration of whether service connection could have been awarded under a direct theory of entitlement or presumptive exposure.

The Veteran's entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected residuals of pneumonia, including bronchitis and restriction, is granted.,The Veteran's entitlement to service connection for a heart disability as secondary to his service-connected obstructive sleep apnea is granted.