Ischemic heart disease Board decisions

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to readjudicate his claims for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disability and bilateral hearing loss. The remaining issues are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for eye condition (vision), hearing loss, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active service.

The Veteran's PTSD rating was restored to 70% effective October 15, 2024. The Board also granted a TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected CAD and PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

DIC benefits are restored, effective December 31, 2021, as the Veteran had been rated totally disabled for over ten continuous years prior to his death.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for ischemic heart disease was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show a formal or informal claim prior to December 11, 2020, and thus no retroactive effective date is available based on liberalizing law. For his TDIU claim, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities (heart disability, hypertension, and tinnitus) were deemed sufficient for consideration of a TDIU, with the vocational expert opining that he was unable to engage in substantial gainful activity due to his heart condition.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease associated with herbicide exposure, finding that the claim was filed on September 19, 2022, and therefore the earliest possible effective date is September 19, 2022.

The Board has remanded the heart disability claim due to a duty to assist error, requiring the AOJ to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected neuropathy caused his heart disease and if it is aggravated by it.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted a 70 percent rating, effective from March 18, 2022.,Service connection for CAD due to exposure in the Gulf War is granted with a 30 percent rating as of March 18, 2022.

The Veteran's appeals for higher initial ratings and earlier effective dates were denied. The diabetes was rated at the minimum level, with no need for insulin or restricted activities. The lower extremity neuropathies met the criteria for a 20 percent rating but not higher. The upper extremity neuropathies also met the criteria for a 30-40 percent rating but not higher. The cardiac disability was rated at the minimum level, with no need for insulin or restricted activities.

The Board granted TDIU due solely to service-connected coronary artery disease prior to May 31, 2022, and dismissed the appeal for a TDIU beginning May 31, 2022, as it was rendered moot by the grant of a total schedular rating for the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the claim for service connection of coronary artery disease due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset during active service.

The Veteran's cause of death is caused by his service-connected coronary artery disease, which was presumed to be due to herbicide exposure during his service in Thailand. The Board has granted the claim for service connection for cause of death.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 100% rating for valvular heart disease with acute congestive heart disease (CHF) is denied. The evidence does not support a finding that the criteria for a higher rating were met within one year of his March 7, 2022, claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypothyroidism, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and arteriosclerotic heart disease are granted based on the PACT Act presumption of exposure to herbicide agents. However, their claims for service connection on a basis other than as pursuant to the PACT Act are remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for cardiac arteriovenous malformation is also remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction (ED) is remanded due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether ED was aggravated by his service-connected ischemic cardiomyopathy and myocardial infarction. A new theory of entitlement related to ED secondary to DM2 and PTSD is not addressed as it was raised after the AOJ decision.

The Board denied the veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 30 percent for coronary artery bypass graft and total disability based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation based on his education, skills, training, and work history. The Board finds that the evidence of record persuasively weighs against finding that his heart condition prevents him from travelling.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on three conditions have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Board granted service connection for hypertension under the PACT Act and remanded other claims for further development.