Ischemic heart disease Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient notice and a need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and determining if service connection is warranted.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease is presumed to have been incurred in service due to herbicide exposure. The Board finds that the Veteran has a current low back disability, but there is insufficient evidence to determine if it was caused by service or another condition.

The Veteran's atherosclerotic coronary artery disease is presumed to have been incurred in active military service.,Hypertension was not shown during service or within the first post-service year, and there is no evidence of herbicide exposure. Therefore, presumptive service connection for hypertension based on herbicide exposure is denied.,Hypercholesterolemia is a laboratory finding and not a recognized disability for which VA benefits may be awarded.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for scheduling a Travel Board hearing or videoconference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge of the Board.

The Veteran's diabetes, coronary artery disease, and nephropathy are not rated higher than the current levels. The Veteran is not entitled to a compensable rating for impotence or TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since September 12, 2005. He is also service-connected for ischemic heart disease and tinnitus. The Board finds that the Veteran meets the criteria for a total disability rating based on unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.

The preponderance of the evidence is against a finding that the Veteran's paroxysmal atrial tachycardia, left upper extremity tremor, hypertension, heart disease (claimed as coronary artery disease), positional vertigo, and sleep apnea are secondary to his service-connected traumatic brain injury.

The Board found that a heart disability to include paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was not incurred in or aggravated by service and service connection for a heart disease disability may not be presumed based on the one-year presumption for a chronic disease.

The Veteran's death was caused by arteriosclerotic vascular disease, which is a direct service-connected condition.,The appellant has not submitted new and material evidence to reopen her claim for PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, heart disorder, dental disability, cataracts, and erectile dysfunction are denied as there is no evidence of in-service incurrence or a relationship to service.,There is no current diagnosis of a dental disability. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy. Service connection for these conditions cannot be granted on a direct basis due to lack of evidence of an in-service injury, disease, or event and the absence of medical records showing treatment within one year after service.,The Board finds that diabetes mellitus type II is not related to active service as there is no evidence of its onset during service. The Veteran's blood pressure readings were normal at separation from service and post-service hypertension was first diagnosed years later.,Service connection for a heart disorder, cataracts, and erectile dysfunction cannot be granted on a secondary basis because diabetes mellitus type II is not a service-connected disease.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran's request for a video-conference hearing. The claims of entitlement to service connection for various conditions are pending.

The Veteran's heart condition, diagnosed as ischemic heart disease, is presumed to have been incurred in service due to exposure to herbicide agents. The Board also found that the Veteran's hypertension and bilateral hearing loss disability are related to his service-connected heart condition.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for renal failure, heart disease, prostate cancer, removal of the gallbladder, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, skin cancer, and residuals of head trauma. The evidence does not establish herbicide exposure during active duty service.

The Veteran's hypertension and valvular heart disease with coronary artery disease have been rated based on their current manifestations, with the initial rating for valvular heart disease being granted at 30 percent prior to February 11, 2008, and increased to 60 percent thereafter.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a service-connected acquired heart disability and therefore, denied his claims for service connection. The TDIU claim is also denied as there are no service-connected disabilities to consider.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and entitlement to a TDIU, effective as of January 3, 1996. The claim for an earlier effective date for these grants is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current heart disability, including hypertension, is not related to service and thus denied his claim for service connection. The spine disability claim was remanded but no additional development or decision has been provided yet.

The Veteran's cause of death was identified as pneumonia, dementia and probable lewy body dementia. Other significant conditions contributing to death but not resulting in the underlying cause were diabetes mellitus II, and coronary artery disease. The Board found no evidence that any service-connected disability caused or contributed substantially or materially to the cause of death.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and a new psychiatric examination.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.