Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2001

The veteran's service-connected hyperlipidemia is related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. Secondary service connection for hypertension, degenerative bone disease, degenerative joint disease of multiple joints, arthralgia, gout, stomach ulcer, gastroesophageal reflux, and intestinal disorder are granted.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim. For his degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with right knee and hip involvement, the Board granted a 20% evaluation.

The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death is not related to his military service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's currently diagnosed hypertension was not related to her military service and denied her claim for service connection. The abdominal disability due to trauma is also not supported by evidence, leading to a denial of this issue as well.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a compensable evaluation under the applicable criteria.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations were denied. The appeal is dismissed as the veteran did not file a timely substantive appeal.

The Board granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to the veteran's PTSD and awarded a 50 percent rating for his PTSD, effective from September 1991.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and osteoarthritis of the left shoulder, left hand, and hips as these conditions were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical evidence and development.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability and concluding that the veteran did not provide sufficient medical evidence to establish a relationship between his in-service elevated blood pressure readings and his current condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected hypertension and left knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under the applicable VA rating criteria.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may it be presumed to have been incurred in service. The preponderance of evidence is against the claim.

The veteran's claims for service connection for hemorrhoids, chronic sinusitis, and hypertension have been denied. The claim of a skin disability is pending.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary due to the need for obtaining private medical records and a statement from the treating emergency medical professional. The case will be returned to the originating agency for further action.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than March 18, 1998 was legally impossible due to lack of factual ascertainability within one year prior to his application. The earliest effective date granted by the RO is March 18, 1998.

The Board denied reopening of the veteran's claims for osteoarthritis, residuals of frostbite, and hypertension due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for hypertension.

The Board denied the claim as new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of death.

The veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by a disability of service origin, nor is the veteran's death presumed related to service.

The Board found that the evidence did not support a grant of entitlement to service connection for hypertension and coronary artery disease as secondary to service-connected PTSD.