Ischemic heart disease Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than May 5, 2009 for a 100 percent rating for valvular heart disease was denied as there is no evidence of an increase in disability within one year prior to the formal claim on May 5, 2009.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to address the severity of his service-connected conditions and their relationship to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's cardiovascular disability is not proximately due to or caused by his service-connected asbestosis or major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses is being remanded due to the need for further development, including an opinion from a VA physician regarding whether his non-service-connected coronary artery disease was associated with and aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and determining whether further attempts to obtain them would be futile.

The Veteran's claimed rheumatic heart disease and aortic valve disease are not service-connected, as there is no evidence of their onset or progression during active duty. The Board finds that the conditions were not incurred in service and are not secondary to any service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding that there was no evidence of a direct relationship between any of these conditions and military service.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as the VA determined that his hypertension and coronary artery disease did not warrant a compensable or increased rating, respectively. The decision also noted that there was no evidence of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's heart disease and whether it is related to service or his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to reschedule his Travel Board hearing at the Portland, Oregon RO on the earliest available date after September 2012.

The Veteran's heart disease is presumed to have been incurred in service due to herbicide exposure. The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for his coronary artery disease and hypertension, as these conditions are presumed to be related to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart disability, and prostate cancer were denied as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after his military service. The Board found that the presumptive service connection provisions do not apply due to lack of exposure to herbicides.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and special monthly compensation, finding no evidence of prior claims. The claim for ischemic heart disease was remanded to obtain relevant medical records.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current heart disorder and his military service. The Court found that the VA examiner relied only on service medical records, which did not consider the Veteran's post-service assertions of in-service chest pain and shortness of breath.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inconsistencies in the July 2010 VA examination report and the Veteran's lay statements regarding his psychiatric and heart disabilities.

The Board found that the appellant's symptoms during service were not indicative of a current disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides during service, and to obtain VA treatment records. The claims for service connection are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of verification regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicides in Guam, and for obtaining updated VA treatment records.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a heart disability and granted service connection on de novo review, finding that his current non-ischemic cardiomyopathy is causally related to his service.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for additional development, including review of new evidence and scheduling a Travel Board hearing. The Veteran's claims for service connection are pending.