Ischemic heart disease Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral pes planus based on aggravation during active duty, and denied service connection for a heart disorder due to lack of evidence showing worsening during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a bilateral knee disability, bilateral foot disability, deviated septum, sleep apnea, atypical left temple nevus, or residuals thereof. The Veteran's service treatment records are not associated with his claims file and it is presumed lost. Therefore, service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable as a whole, and he is capable of securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a heart disability, to include as due to exposure to an herbicidal agent and as secondary to a service-connected disability is dismissed. The Veteran's appeal for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound is dismissed. The Veteran's appeal for total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in permanent and total disability that is due to the loss or loss of use of one or both lower extremities so as to preclude locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes or a wheelchair. As such, he is entitled to a certificate of eligibility for assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease and his nonservice-connected emphysema. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to determine the extent of his symptoms attributable to each condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed hearing loss, tinnitus, and heart disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development and to provide a medical opinion regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected valvular heart disease with aortic insufficiency with recent stent placement does not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease was denied as he did not file a formal or informal application prior to July 28, 2009.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his request for a hearing and indicated satisfaction with the grant of Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, hypertension, heart disease, dyslexia, kidney disability, respiratory disability, and bilateral shoulder disability has been granted. He is also awarded special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Veteran's heart disability and cold injury residuals of the right foot are granted. The heart disability is reopened, but not yet decided on its merits. The cold injury residuals receive a maximum rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and maintaining all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule VA examinations for his claimed acquired psychiatric disability, heart disability, and left knee disability. The Board will then review the case again based on the examination results.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn. The Board does not have jurisdiction to consider the increased rating claim for hypertension with headaches as the Veteran withdrew his appeal in November 2015.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than May 5, 2003, for the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease. The evidence did not show a formal or informal claim prior to that date.

The appellant is at least as likely as not in need of aid and attendance based on physical incapacity, which requires care or assistance on a regular basis to protect the claimant from hazards or dangers incident to her daily environment. The Board finds that she needs regular aid and assistance due to medical conditions such as dizziness, imbalance, angina, fatigue, dyspnea, pain, numbness, and falls.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new hearing due to issues related to service connection for various conditions including heart, liver, respiratory, and dental conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and an updated VA examination. The Board will consider his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, tinnitus, skin conditions, and coronary artery disease, in determining whether they preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.