Ischemic heart disease Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disorder and for evaluations in excess of 10 percent for varicose veins of both legs prior to January 12, 1998. The RO granted service connection for bilateral varicose veins postoperative ligation and sclerotherapy but continued denial of the heart disorder claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a left eye injury and back injury. The appeals were based on direct evidence rather than presumptive exposure or new and material evidence.

The Board found that the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death was not well-grounded due to a lack of medical evidence linking any service-connected disability or incident to his death.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection as not well grounded, stating there was no evidence of current cardiac pathology related to his active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for loss of vision, bilateral hearing loss, acquired psychiatric disorder, diabetes mellitus, low back disorder, left knee disorder, right elbow disorder, and arteriosclerotic heart disease. The appeals were not well-grounded.

The Board has determined that there is no new and material evidence to reopen the claims for secondary service connection for heart disease and sinusitis, and these claims are denied.

The Board has granted a 100% disability rating for the veteran's cardiovascular disability, including valvular heart disease with a history of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. The effective date is not specified as it was granted based on new evidence.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease and hypothyroidism, but denied service connection for these conditions. The veteran was granted a non-service-connected disability rating of 30% for his arteriosclerotic heart disease.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease was not well grounded due to lack of evidence showing a pre-existing condition during service or within one year after separation, and no evidence of such disease in service records. The claim is denied.

The Board found that cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and hypothyroidism were not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The veteran's death was due to ischemic cardiomyopathy, which was related to atherosclerosis. There is no evidence of mustard gas exposure during service, nor any other service connection for the conditions causing the veteran's death.

The Board found that the veteran's claims of PTSD and jungle rot are well-grounded, while his claims for other conditions are not supported by cognizable evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for hearing loss and heart disease, finding that there was no competent medical evidence to support these claims.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected hearing loss did not contribute to his cause of death, as there was no evidence linking it to any cardiovascular conditions or ulcers. The Board concluded that the veteran's hearing loss exacerbated his hypertension but did not play a substantial role in causing his cardiac death.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected low back disability and determined that the effective date for TDIU should be January 12, 1998. The veteran was not granted a higher rating for his low back condition, which remained at 40 percent disabling. For TDIU, the Board found that the veteran did not meet the criteria due to having multiple service-connected disabilities with combined ratings of less than 70%.

The Board has found a medical opinion linking the cause of the veteran's death to his service-connected psychiatric disorder, which contributed to his heart problems and ultimately caused his death in 1996. The appeal is granted as the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is well-grounded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for compensation benefits for pulmonary fibrosis and a higher disability evaluation for coronary artery dissection and/or occlusion with myocardial infarction by enzymes. The veteran's unstable sternum was evaluated at 10 percent.

The Board found no evidence of current nicotine dependence or a causal relationship between the veteran's CAD and cigarette smoking during service. Therefore, the claims for both Nicotine Dependence and CAD were denied.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's postoperative scar of the right lower quadrant abdominal abscess and found that new and material evidence had not been presented to reopen his claim for service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death.