Ischemic heart disease Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for heart disease, psychiatric disorder, and seizure disorder. The evidence did not establish a direct link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease and emphysema, finding that the veteran's nicotine dependence in service contributed to his development of these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected hypertension and hypertensive heart disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on current blood pressure readings.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating of his service-connected anxiety reaction with PTSD was granted, and he is now rated at 30 percent prior to May 22, 2000. Service connection has also been established for heart disorder with hypertension as secondary to the service-connected anxiety reaction with PTSD, and gastroesophageal reflux disease with dyspepsia as secondary to the service-connected anxiety reaction with PTSD.

The veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and left hip are not service-connected. However, his atherosclerotic heart disease to include hypertension is considered incurred in service.

The veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease and right bundle branch block are rated at 30 percent, while his service-connected chronic bronchial asthma is rated at 60 percent. The decision grants increased ratings for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed stomach disorder (ulcer) and heart disorder were not incurred or aggravated during active service, and therefore denied his claims for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's coronary artery disease is not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected melioidosis.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for heart disease, and thus grants this aspect of his appeal.

The Board has determined that the veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease did not originate during his Reserve duty in March 2001, and thus service connection is denied.

The veteran's cause of death, cardiac arrest due to acute myocardial infarction with coronary artery disease, is not service-connected. The appellant's claim for accrued benefits was also denied.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected schizophrenia did not contribute substantially or materially to his death from Staphylococcus aureus sepsis. The medical evidence does not support a direct causal relationship between the veteran's schizophrenia and his cause of death.

The Board denied the appellant's application to reopen her claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that the additional evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board finds that the appellant's heart disorder did not originate during any period of active duty for training or inactive duty training, and thus denied service connection.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, thus denying his claim for a TDIU.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied, and the RO granted higher ratings for mechanical low back pain. The veteran does not have current hypertension or heart disease, and his high cholesterol is not a compensable disability. His pes planus was noted at entry but did not worsen during service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not currently have a heart murmur, and thus service connection for this condition is denied. The claims of entitlement to service connection for coronary artery disease with history of bypass and back pain are addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension, coronary artery disease, and gastritis are not related to service or a service-connected disability. The VA examiner indicated that these conditions were more likely due to other risk factors such as age, gender, family history, nicotine dependence, and hyperlipidemia.

The Board has granted a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD as of March 3, 2005, and has found service connection for organic heart disease secondary to PTSD. The veteran's PTSD is currently manifested by occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as panic attacks, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing effective work and social relationships, and intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for respiratory disorder, heart disability, bilateral knee spurring, bilateral foot spurs, lumbosacral strain, and bilateral shoulder degenerative changes as service connection is not established.,However, the Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee spurring, bilateral foot spurs, lumbosacral strain, and bilateral shoulder degenerative changes.