Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2000

The Board denied the appellant's claim to reopen his service connection for cardiovascular disability, finding that no new and material evidence had been received since the November 1994 rating decision.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection are not well-grounded, and thus denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the hands, brain damage, ulcers in the mouth and on the lips, hypertension, headaches, digestive problems, dizziness and disequilibrium, and sexual problems. The denial is based on a lack of competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his period of service.

The Board denied service connection for intermittent explosive personality disorder and hypertension, finding no competent evidence of a nexus between current disabilities and military service.,For the right knee disability, the veteran's complaints included pain with objective evidence of crepitance. For the left knee disability, the veteran also complained of pain with objective evidence of crepitance.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a chronic headache disability due to new and material evidence.,Service connection is granted for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic skin disability and hypertension and heart disability as aggravated by his service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder. The veteran was not granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypothyroidism, chronic joint pain, hypertension and loss of reflexes on a secondary basis due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection are not well-grounded and therefore denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and nicotine dependence/tobacco use in service, finding no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his active duty service or a service-connected disability.,For the claim of service connection for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, the Board determined that there was insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the veteran's current condition and either his military service or any service-connected disabilities. For the nicotine dependence/tobacco use in service claim, the Board found no competent medical evidence of nicotine dependence.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension did not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, as his blood pressure readings were predominantly below the thresholds for higher ratings.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a pulmonary disability and a cardiovascular disability, as well as his increased rating claims. The decision also noted that new evidence did not provide sufficient material to reopen the claim for a pulmonary disability.

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Memorial Hospital, Colorado Springs, from March 16 to March 19, 1997 are granted as the VA facilities were feasibly available and an attempt to use them beforehand or obtain prior VA authorization for the services required would have been reasonable, sound, wise, or practical.

The Board found no competent medical evidence linking the cause of the veteran's death to active service, and thus denied all claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for a cardiovascular disorder, to include irregular heartbeat, murmur, palpitations, and hypertension, due to scarlet fever is not well grounded. There is no competent medical evidence linking his current cardiovascular disorders to his period of active duty service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence was not sufficient to establish a well-grounded claim for hypertension, but noted that further development of the issue was needed.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied as his claims were not well-grounded.

The veteran's hypertension, residuals of rheumatic fever are not productive of diastolic pressure of predominantly 120 or more. The Board finds that the criteria for an increased rating higher than 20 percent for hypertension, residuals of rheumatic fever do not meet and therefore denied.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation, as her blood pressure readings did not consistently exceed the required thresholds under both old and new rating criteria.

The Board has found that the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension are well grounded. The veteran experienced elevated blood pressure during service, which is considered a plausible basis for his current diagnoses of hypertension. Diabetes mellitus was diagnosed within one year after service discharge, meeting the presumptive period criteria.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for his nephritis disability and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that neither condition warranted such ratings.