Ischemic heart disease decisions — 2026

The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in the record existing prior to the appealed decision, including inadequate VA examinations and failure to obtain a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) opinion for sleep apnea. The Veteran's representative raised concerns about the adequacy of previous opinions and the need for additional development.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy and a heart disability are all granted due to presumed exposure to herbicides during active duty in Vietnam.

The Board has granted DIC benefits based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his service-connected prostate cancer and its treatment caused his death due to side effects from Zytiga.

The Board has denied service connection for a right shoulder disability and remanded the case for further action on heart disability. The decision regarding right shoulder disability is that it was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate nexus opinions and a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The claims are related to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 2, 2015, for TDIU was denied as the evidence did not show actual worsening within one year prior to his March 2, 2015, claim.

The Veteran's initial ratings for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, sciatic nerve were increased to 40 percent each. The rating for arteriosclerotic heart disease was restored from 10 percent to 30 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to a procedural error in the VA examination, which did not consider his heart condition prior to January 7, 2026. The Board requires a retrospective opinion from an appropriate clinician regarding the severity of his CAD s/p myocardial infarction.

The Veteran's request to readjudicate the claim for service connection of a right hand condition has been granted.,Service connection is granted for allergic rhinitis, with the presumption that it was aggravated by active duty service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding the Veteran's exposure to mercury in dental amalgams and asbestos during service. A VA medical opinion is needed to determine if these exposures are related to his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran is granted SMC at the rate of 50% for his service-connected conditions from April 20, 2020 to June 7, 2021.

The Veteran's heart disability is currently rated at 60 percent from February 24, 2023.,The effective date for the grant of TDIU was set to February 24, 2023.

The appeal concerning earlier effective dates for service connection and disability ratings has been dismissed.,No new evidence or arguments were provided to support the claims.

Service connection is granted for coronary artery disease due to presumed exposure under the PACT Act. Service connection is also granted for short term memory loss, which is found to be proximately due to service-connected generalized anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart condition and GERD have been denied as there is no persuasive evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's initial rating for arteriosclerotic heart disease/coronary artery disease associated with right bundle block branch (heart disease) is denied as the evidence does not show that he had heart failure symptoms from a workload of 5.0 METs or less.,The Veteran's increased rating for diabetes mellitus type two (diabetes) is denied as medical management of his diabetes does not require regulation of activities, and there are no compensable complications.,The Veteran's increased rating for hypertension is denied as the evidence shows that his diastolic blood pressure has never been predominantly 110 or more, or systolic pressure has never been predominantly 200 or more.

The Board has decided to remand both issues of service connection for residuals of a streptococcus infection and heart condition (pericarditis) due to the lack of a VA examination addressing the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of 100 percent for CAD was granted effective November 28, 2023. The effective date is based on the date of a VA examination showing the increase in disability.

The appeal is dismissed due to the death of the Appellant, and no service connection claim was decided.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease and obstructive sleep apnea have been denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the conditions and his military service.