Ischemic heart disease Board decisions

The Board finds that the veteran does not have a disability manifested by the residuals of hepatitis, as there is no clinical evidence of hepatitis.,There is also no service connection for heart disorder due to disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The Board is requesting additional medical records and an expert opinion to determine if the veteran's death was caused by VA negligence during his emergency room visit.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and found that the veteran's current back disability, hypertension, heart disease, skin cancer, and PTSD are related to his military service. The claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is pending.

The veteran's private cardiologist, Dr. Moraes, opined that the veteran's PTSD/depression had undoubtedly exacerbated his underlying coronary artery disease (CAD). The Board finds this opinion credible and grants service connection for CAD secondary to PTSD.

The Board found that the veteran's cardiovascular disorders, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and aortic insufficiency, were not incurred in service or due to his service-connected rheumatic heart disease. The claim was denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for systemic nerve damage, stenosis of the lumbar canal with associated right sided sciatica and loss of use of legs with numbness, degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, heart condition (claimed as heart palpitations), residuals of chronic prostatitis with retractable testicles, painful erection/ejaculation, and loss of use of a creative organ, and depression. The veteran's service-connected psoriasis was also denied for an increased rating.

The veteran is seeking service connection for a heart condition that he claims is secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The case has been remanded due to the need for proper VCAA notice.

The Board found that the veteran's heart condition, diagnosed as pericarditis, did not occur during active duty and is not related to service. The veteran also does not have a current heart condition related to his 1992 episode of pericarditis. For osteoarthritis of the knee, there is no evidence of such condition in service records or within one year post-service. Therefore, both claims for service connection were denied.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further action, including scheduling VA examinations and adjudicating increased rating claims and secondary service connection claims. The TDIU claim will be re-adjudicated after these actions.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of heart disease, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.

The veteran is seeking compensation under the 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for heart disease that allegedly resulted from VA medical care in March 1999. The case has been remanded to obtain additional records and determine if the veteran's heart condition was caused by VA negligence or lack of proper skill during his hospitalization.

The Board found that the veteran's left ventricular hypertrophy is aggravated by his service-connected stab wound to the chest with chronic chest pain syndrome, and granted a rating of 20 percent for the residuals of the service-connected stab wound. The claim for increased rating for PTSD was remanded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for heart disease and higher evaluations for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, finding no evidence to support these claims.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings have been denied. The Board found that the current ratings adequately reflect his symptoms and functional impairment.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and further development is needed before a decision can be made on whether service connection for the cause of the veteran's death should be granted.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for heart condition and traumatic arthritis in the knees, hips, and left shoulder as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after service. The veteran did not have a diagnosis of arthritis at any time.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for restoration of service connection for PTSD, entitlement to service connection for Barrett's esophagitis, and reopening his claim for service connection for hypertensive arteriosclerotic heart disease. The evidence submitted did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and thus the claim for service connection for the cause of his death is denied. The appellant is also not entitled to service-connected burial benefits as her husband's death is not service-connected.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a request to U.S. Army and Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC) to investigate whether the veteran was exposed to Agent Orange at Webb Air Force Base in Texas.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including chronic urinary stone formation, hypertensive heart disease, and status post cerebrovascular accident, are of such severity as to render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that the criteria for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities have been met.