Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's congenital heart defect and valvular heart disease were caused or aggravated by service, as well as their onset during service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for asthma, chronic kidney disease, COPD, coronary artery disease/congestive heart failure, diabetes mellitus II, and hypertension due to exposure to asbestos while serving as a machinist mate in the Navy. The AOJ is instructed to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions based on the Veteran's service history and any other relevant evidence.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than March 24, 2020, for the award of service connection for valvular heart disease was denied as the entitlement to service connection arose on March 24, 2020, when he was granted service connection for hypertension and PTSD.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 and ischemic heart disease due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran, which suggests possible exposure to herbicide agents during his deployment in Korea. The VA will now seek verification of this exposure and provide additional medical opinions on the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's heart conditions are remanded due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically the need for an addendum VA medical opinion regarding his presumed in-service exposure to herbicide agents and participation in TERA.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error and will need additional medical opinions on whether the Veteran's heart conditions are caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD, hypertension, or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's heart condition, including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and atypical chest pain, is granted as a qualifying chronic disability under the Persian Gulf Veterans' Act.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of compliance with previous remand directives and potential exposure to herbicide agents during service. Additional deck logs are needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed in areas where herbicide agent exposure is presumed.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for earlier effective date and service connection for various types of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, as well as coronary artery disease with stent placement.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for residual scarring status post CABG.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected coronary heart disease was denied. For the appeal period prior to October 17, 2022, the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent. For the appeal from October 17, 2022, he did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (eczema, PTSD, and heart condition) have rendered him unable to secure or maintain gainful employment. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and initial disability ratings have been dismissed due to the Veteran's written requests to withdraw all issues currently on appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (eczema, PTSD, and heart condition) have rendered him unable to secure or maintain gainful employment. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic kidney disease, heart condition, prostate cancer, and bladder condition have been granted. The claim seeking service connection for a bladder condition is remanded due to the need for further development.

The Veteran's neck disability, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and CAD have been granted. The Veteran is assigned a 100 percent rating for his CAD from June 21, 2022, with an effective date of June 21, 2022.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for coronary artery disease has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's appeal regarding COPD and heart disability is remanded due to insufficient medical opinions. The Board finds that the current opinions are inadequate for deciding these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded.

The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted as service connected due to exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Vietnam.